


Hope of True Love

by ParticipationTrophyWife



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: 2020 amiright, Can we have a non-edgy insert?, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Have you laughed yet? These are the jokes, I promise the actual writing is nothing like this, I put the violence tag just to be safe, I stashed a bunch of chapters away before uploading, I'm gonna do my best with formatting, I've just been in the trenches of wattpad lately and its made me cynical, It's mostly just blood: never guts, Like I don't wear Hot Topic band tees, Like if you're gonna write a story try picking one up, Mutual Pinning, No beta reader, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, People be out here not using quotation marks or making the whole thing one paragraph, Reader's just cute and nice and bubbly: sue me, Video Game Logic, it gives me vertigo and drains my spinal fluid, sort of oblivious reader, this is what I've been doing during lockdown
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26459095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParticipationTrophyWife/pseuds/ParticipationTrophyWife
Summary: You've been lured into The Constant by the promise of true love. Can it really be true, or is it just some cruel trick? Even if it isn't destiny, perhaps you and Wilson can find happiness in serendipity.
Relationships: Wilson (Don't Starve)/Reader, Wilson (Don't Starve)/You
Comments: 18
Kudos: 43





	1. The Promise and The Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Against your better judgment, you made a vague deal with a shady character. Is there a chance you could get what you bargained for?

It was a lazy midsummer night and you were spending it staring at the ceiling while laying in bed, listening to music. An ad came on between songs: 

"Hey there little lady! (y/n), right?" Stunned, you sat up. "That's right, you! Don't you feel like you're missing something?" While your guard was still up, you began to think it may just be some new AI powered form of targeted advertising. It had to be. "What, still a little tense, (y/n)?" The voice questioned. "Why not look down at me and I'll explain a little further?" It beckoned. You looked at your phone only to see an older man with a pale, ashy face, pinstriped suit, and slicked hair looking back at you. You yelped, and quickly turned your phone off. 

"How the fuck did I get hacked? I'd better take my phone somewhere to get looked at tomorrow morning," you planned. Suddenly, your laptop flipped open from behind you.

"Little lady, if you'd listen for a moment, you'd see that I'm trying to help you," he assured.

"What do you want?" you asked, realizing this may be more than just a hack.

"Just to help me help you," he posited with a grin. You stood skeptically with a hand on your hip. "You've been in a bit of a rut as of late, haven't you? I bet you'd like a little excitement, wouldn't you?" he asserted.

"The kind where I get killed, blackmailed, or arrested? No thanks." You folded your arms.

"While I won't make any promises in that regard, that's not my goal here. No, what I'm promising is the opportunity to live in a place where every day would be an adventure! Living on a charming little island with wonderful views." You tilted your head at the vague prospect. "What about… true love?" You hadn't wanted to show any interest, and yet, your brow arched. "Want to see for yourself? Just go ahead and download this." Your phone screen lit up, showing a page to download an app called "To Constant". You looked to see that you wouldn't have enough room for the app, and tried to worm out of it one last time.

"Oh, too bad, I don't have enough space on my phone!" you apologized. 

"Really? Well, no worries, I'll just take care of that for you," he mollified. In a snap, you saw the available space on your phone go to the max. For a brief moment, you considered throwing all of your electronics out of the window. However, your fear of his abilities coupled with your sheer curiosity got the better of you. ' _I'm sure he could have just put it on my phone and opened it himself if he wanted to._ ' That was your final thought as you opened the app, and saw hands of shadow reach out for you from the screen before total darkness.

* * *

The next time you opened your eyes, you felt the grass you were lying on before looking at the warm morning sun, and the subsequent cold shadow of the figure looming over you.

"Say little lady, you don't look so good. You better find something to eat before night comes!" he suggested as he shot into the ground. Still discombobulated, you stood up and got your bearings. You realized you were no longer in the pajamas you had on earlier, and were instead in your favorite t-shirt, pants, and shoes.

"This can't be a dream, it's too real. What the hell happened to me?" you wondered. You decided to follow his advice and look for food. ' _Then I'll need shelter, some kind of safe place to hunker down for the night,_ ' you figured. Soon, you spotted some berry bushes. However, since they looked like no berries you'd ever seen, you didn't want to take any chances in case they were poisonous. Thankfully, you were able to find a few carrots. ' _I should probably get some wood to make a fire for the night,_ ' you thought, so you collected some wood. 

Soon, evening approached, and you managed to get your fire lit more easily than you expected. You sat next to it on the ground, snacking on a carrot and watching the sun set. ' _Least he wasn't lying about the views,_ ' you thought, trying to cheer yourself up. As darkness crept into the sky, you tried to sleep, but hardly managed to. Your mind was still swirling with the confusion of a new reality, on top of a nagging feeling that you needed to keep the fire lit.

As time went on, most days went the same, save for your new discoveries of what was living on the island with you. You managed to spot and hide from spiders almost as big as you, barely outrun strange wolf/hog hybrids, and spot a tentacled _something_ in the swamp. One of the only friendly looking animals you encountered were strange buffalo-looking creatures, but their odor, and frequency of defecation left much to be desired. The rest were birds, rabbits, and butterflies, all of which seemed to avoid you. 

You were worse for wear, and down to the last of the food you had on hand, which was mainly seeds. Evening was near when you heard the sound of wood being chopped. You followed the sound through a flower covered field, until, at its edge, you spotted a figure, with axe in hand, cutting down a sizable tree. ' _Could be a murderer, but I'd rather have a companion OR a choppy death over this,_ ' you decided as you ran over. Your injuries slowed you down, and you weren't sure how much farther you'd make it, so you called out as you approached.

"Hello! Is someone there? Anybody?" you asked, getting closer.

"Hello?" You faintly heard a man's voice. It sounded unsure. Nonetheless, you picked up the pace and began to run to the figure.

"Yes? Hello!" you shouted, not far from the figure before tripping and falling forward. You were able to keep your face from hitting the ground, but weren't able to stand back up. You heard quick footsteps coming towards you.

"My goodness! You poor thing," you heard the man say before flipping you over onto your back. 

Soon his face came into focus. The first thing you noticed was his large, black, unruly hair. He had a long face, with a sharp jaw, and sunken cheeks. His nose was pointed, but slightly flat, and he had thick brows above dark circles around his darker colored eyes. His eyes didn't look tired like he'd had a rough night's sleep, it looked like he'd been much more tired for a much longer time than you could ever know. However, you felt an immediate warmth in his concerned look. He took off a backpack and dug through it, pulling out some orange and black things you couldn't place. 

Wilson's POV 

Looking at her, I realized the person laying before me was a lady, although not in any clothing I had seen a lady wear. Perhaps it was because she was injured, but she looked so delicate, and it felt tragic that the first person I'd met in my time here was hurt so badly. Almost like a butterfly with a broken wing- ' _Wait, that's right!_ ' I remembered. Of course this was the one time I forgot to bring my healing salve, but I had gathered these throughout the afternoon while picking flowers.

"Here eat these, they'll help you recover," I soothed as I brought the butterfly wings near her mouth. She ate them, and sat up on her own.

"What were those? I thought I was gonna die, or at least pass out, and now I feel almost as good as when I first got here!" 

"They're butterfly wings," I explained.

"But how on earth-"

"That's just it, I'm unsure if this place _is_ earth. It seems like it in some ways, but there are many things that happen here that shouldn't be possible. One important fact being that butterfly wings heal injuries, and the more you eat, the greater the injury can be healed," I remarked.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, wide eyed. My goodness, her eyes are such a darling colour. I blinked and returned to the present.

"I believe it's just been about a year," I replied. "Oh dear, where are my manors? My name is Wilson, what's yours?"

"My name's (y/n)!" her smile lit up her entire face. It was just so genuine that I couldn't help but smile back. For the first time in I-don't-know-how-long, I felt a warmth on my cheeks from joy.

"How long have you been here, (y/n)?"

"Only like a week. Does it ever get any easier?" she asked.

"It was rough for me when I first arrived here too. However, after making some discoveries, inventions, infrastructure, and running some experiments, I've been doing rather well for myself," I posited. 

"Well- and don't say 'yes' if you think I'd just be a burden, but, do you think we could work together? I know I don't know much now, but if you could teach me I'm sure I could-"

"Would you like to stay with me?" I quickly suggested.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" she extolled, springing up from where she was seated and pulling me up with her. "I'll help you in any way I can!" she promised, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I'm not sure how long it's been since I felt that kind of affection. Even before winding up here, I was never the most social creature. I spent most of my days fiddling in my laboratory, only going out when I needed some type of supplies. So it's safe to say that I've never had such a warm embrace from such a beautiful woman. I wrapped my arms around her gingerly in return.

Your POV 

He smelled like pine, sweat, dirt, and something metallic. Just the fact that it was the smell of another person made it seem nice. Shortly after he wrapped his arms around you, you squeezed just a bit tighter before letting go. You realized that you just made a stranger hug you, so you hoped he wasn't weirded-out. 

"Er, sorry about that, I'm just so glad to find someone else out here, especially someone who knows this place much better than I do. Thanks for fixing me up, by the way," you said with a smile, looking down as soon as you felt a light blush on your face. You looked back up when he began to speak.

"Of course! You don't know how relieving it is to finally have some companionship! I've had no one to talk to this whole time, so it's been rather draining,' he admitted. He began to look around.

"Got any good stories saved up, then?" you asked.

"The evening's begun, we'd better go back to camp quickly. Follow me," he ordered. You followed, trying to keep up with his quick pace. He was taller than you, and you figured if he's been here a year already, he's probably in better shape. He looked behind and saw that you were further back than his liking. "Come along, darling," he said as he gave you his hand. You took it and hurried together back to his base. Wilson must have still felt a little worried after getting inside, because he went back to holding your hand after closing the gate. _'I never thought pavement would make me so happy,'_ you thought, stepping onto the stone walkway in the camp. After lighting the fire pit, he came back to hold your hand a third time. ' _Guess he doesn't wanna lose me!_ ' you joked to yourself. 

He showed you various areas of the camp: mainly storage, farms, and machinery. There must have been at least a dozen different machines, and you had no idea what they were for or how they worked, but Wilson promised to teach you how to use all of them before long. Afterwards, you both sat on a log by the fire and ate some beeffalo meat that Wilson had prepared.

"What are some other things you've learned about this world that are different than ours?" you asked Wilson.

"I assume you haven't felt a great need to sleep, drink water, or um… use the lavatory, " he pointed out. You thought about it for a moment, and realized you hadn't done any of that since arriving here. You nodded.

"Do you have any idea why that is?" you asked. 

"Sadly, no. It's especially odd because, as you've no doubt seen, other creatures here carry out those functions, and yet we seem to have no need to do the same," he remarked.

"Are you able to sleep at all?"

"Yes, but I'm usually only able to do so if I have a tent or bedroll. However, I don't use a tent during the summer because I find it to be awfully warm," he mentioned. "I do find sleeping to be rather restorative at times."

"So, how did you find out all of the stuff you've learned about this world?" you wondered.

"Experimentation, my dear! Only by taking risks and testing ideas can advancements be made! One must apply science to their surroundings if they ever hope to gain understanding, and thereby banish fear and conquer anguish!" he declared. This was the most animated you had seen him so far. He gripped your hand tightly as he spoke.

"So I've been wondering: are the pink berries I've been seeing around okay to eat?" you inquired.

"Oh, of course! Absolutely safe," he confirmed. You threw your head back in regret.

"That means I could have been eating them this whole time…" you lamented. Wilson squeezed your hand.

"Cheer up, darling! You're still alive and well, aren't you? I'll teach you all I know! Then, when we encounter new oddities, we'll tackle them together!" he promised. Then his face lit up even more. "And I'll finally have a lab partner! Oh, this is wonderful, just splendid!" he looked positively giddy. 

"Yeah, that'll be nice!" you smiled back. Afterwards, you both stared at the fire. As you peered into the flames, you remembered the promise of the man that sent you here: ‘Every day would be an adventure! Living on a charming little island with wonderful views.’ While it wasn't what you'd expected, the promise wasn't untrue. However, you recalled the last, but most important thing to you: true love. ' _Could he have meant…_ '

"Something the matter?" Wilson asked.

"Oh! I'm fine, just spacing out," you replied.

"'Spacing out'?" he questioned.

"When you kinda just stare at something and... think of nothing," you explained. You sure weren't thinking of nothing in that moment, but you didn't want to spring the idea that he may be your promised "true love" on him so soon after meeting. "I guess I'm doing it cause I'm pretty tired," you fibbed. 

"Unfortunately, I only have one for now, but you can take my bedroll for the night if you'd like," he offered.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to be a bother," you contended.

"Believe me, I don't mind at all! Besides, if you haven't slept since you've gotten here, a little bit of rest ought to do you some good," he insisted. He proceeded to procure and unfurl the bedroll for you before assuredly patting it, and gesturing to it with a flourish. "All ready, dearie!" he declared. 

"Thank you so much!" you smiled sheepishly before approaching the bedroll, taking off your shoes, and getting in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be releasing 1 chapter a day until I run out (I have 8 saved up). I hope you enjoy it!


	2. The World and You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your first full day with the Gentleman Scientist, and a huge difference between you becomes evident pretty quickly.

The next morning you awoke well rested. However, you were soon panicked by the fact that you couldn't find something you had placed next to you last night: until you heard Wilson speak. 

"Ah! You're awake! I don't mean to intrude, but I found this contraption beside you this morning, and can not for the life of me figure out its function!" The "contraption" in question was your bra, which you had taken off before going to sleep.

"Wilson! That's not funny! Give it back!" you demanded. He saw how serious you were, and obliged.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jest, but I truly have no idea what that is," he admitted.

"You're telling me that you've _never_ seen one of these before?" you questioned.

"Never!" he confirmed. You were perplexed.

"You really need me to explain it to you?" you asked. He nodded. "Well… it's… a form of women's undergarment," you revealed. 

"But then what are the- Oh! Oh my!" He turned red and covered his face. You felt a little bad embarrassing him that much, especially since he didn't know what he was doing, but it was also kind of cute how genteel he was.

"Do ya think you could turn around for a sec so I can put it back on?" you requested.

"Yes, absolutely," he complied. Once you got situated, you told him it was okay to turn back around. "I'm so sor-" he began.

"No, it's alright, it was an honest mistake," you assured him as you went to sit next to him.

He sighed, "Thank you."

"But you've _never_ seen one of those before? Not even in an ad or something?"

"Ah, well, I can't admit to lingering in the ladies' undergarment section of the catalogue," he confessed. _'Catalog?_ ' you wondered.

"Can't, or won't?" you asked with a smirk.

" _Can't_. I uphold myself to the standard of a gentleman. It's practically in my job description, after all!" he claimed.

"What was your job before coming here?" you wondered.

"Gentleman Scientist!" he stated.

"That's not a real job," you thought aloud.

"Just because I don't receive public support for my scientific endeavors doesn't make them any less valid!" he fumed. 

"Wait, what? Is it a real job title? I thought you just made it up," you explained. He folded his arms.

"It's very real. It means that I practice science, but don't receive any government funding for my equipment or experiments. I work independently," he described. 

"Huh." 

"So you've really never heard the term?"

"No," you confirmed. Wheels started to turn in your head as you and Wilson ate breakfast and prepared to go on a supply run. One of the things Wilson planned to collect was gold, but you weren't sure how feasible it was. You had seen a stone or two with large gold veins, but you were sure it would take the better part of a day to find and mine. However, Wilson quickly found a gold-streaked boulder, and began another lesson about the Constant. 

"Mining here is unbelievably simple," he claimed. "All it takes is a few strikes, and then…" he began to strike the rock with a pickaxe, and you were amazed by how quickly it began to crack. Suddenly, it all fell apart into smaller chunks of minerals, including pure gold. "While all of the fragments don't make up the mass of what they came from, the speed at which they can be acquired, and the fact that all of the materials are perfectly separated seems like a rather fair trade off to me," he analyzed. After collecting the scattered elements, you both walked over to another boulder, and he held out the pickaxe. "Why don't you give it a whirl?" he offered.

"I'm not sure I could-"

"Nonsense! It's plenty simple. Just take a swing at it!" he insisted. You took a swing, and to your surprise, it cracked! A few more swings you busted it the same as Wilson. Afterwards, he showed you the principals of cutting and replanting trees, setting traps, and how to kill those pesky gobblers that have been taunting you. As you made your way back to base, you started thinking about this morning, and had a realization.

"Wilson, what year was it in the real world before you came here?" 

"1921. As I've told you before, I've only been here a year. Why ask?" he wondered. Your eyes went wide.

"Because I came from a hundred years in the future," you told him. He must have looked twice as surprised as you.

"My goodness! The technologies you must have possessed, the scientific advances that must have been made! This is incredible! You must tell me about your society," he begged as you neared the base. ' _1921…_ ' you tried to think of all that happened in the world between then, and your time. _'Oh God, that's a lot,_ ' you realized.

"This is probably gonna take a while," you warned. The two of you sat next to each other by the fire and ate dinner while you conveyed all that you could remember from history class, and elaborated on different inventions as they came up, knowing that's what he was most interested in. Sometimes he looked excited and mystified, and other times utterly dismayed as you described the ups and downs of the world he had left. Once you got to modern times, you described your smartphone. "That's actually how I got here," you recalled.

"So that little rectangle has _all_ of those functions, _and_ it was able to transport you to another world?" he commended. 

"Well I don't know how the hell it did _that_ part," you told him. "Seems more like magic than technology."

"My dear (y/n), all 'magic' is just unexplained science!" he insisted. "Do you still have your 'smartphone' with you? Perhaps we could reverse engineer-"

"I don't have it," you sighed.

"Ah," he concluded. "My goodness, one hundred years…" he still pondered.

Wilson's POV 

"That also explains the clothing you're wearing. I haven't seen clothes quite like that anywhere, especially on a lady. In my time, women only wore pants while sporting, and even those were rather loosely fitted," I explained. She nodded. "I do think your clothes suit you rather nicely, and closely fitted pants are quite fetching on you," I admitted. 

"Oh! Uh… thanks!" she accepted. ' _Oh dear, have I said too much?_ ' I wondered. It seems that ever since the incident this morning I haven't been as courteous as I would have liked. While we were out today I caught myself staring at her from behind all too often. Even last night, it took me hours to realize that I had kept holding her hand since we entered the base. ' _Now she's just going to think I'm just some low-life lecher. And would she even be wrong?-'_

"I like your clothes too!" she beamed. "I kinda wish guys in my time would dress up more often, you look so sharp and dignified! I especially like the vest," she approved.

"Oh! Th-Thank you!" I chimed, a little flush.

"I was wondering, are the gloves more for function or fashion?" she questioned.

"Function: they allow me to protect my forearms with something stronger and less bulky than my sleeves while preventing my sense of touch from being dampened," I explained. Although that does leave my fingers exposed. I looked down at the various evidence of previous wounds. (y/n) then leaned forward and turned her head to meet mine. 

"I like your hair too, it's so big! You've got this whole kinda controlled chaos thing going on," she commented. I sat back up and rubbed the back of my neck.

"That describes me more than you know," I admitted.

"Eh, same here," she threw off.

"I like your hair too, it's nicely shaped," I complimented. She smiled.

Your POV 

"Yeah, another thing I've noticed about being here is that even when the wind blows, my hair never gets messed up!" you remarked.

"Yes, and mine only does when I wear a hat," Wilson confirmed. You smiled.

"So, what did you like to do before coming here?" you asked him.

"I spent most of my time in the laboratory, trying my hand at chemistry, inventing, and whatnot. A little biology and physics here and there, a touch of botany. Ironically, I've had more success in my scientific endeavors here than I ever did back home," he noted. "Although, in a twisted way, I suppose that's what that Maxwell chap promised me." 

"Who's Maxwell? What did he promise?" you questioned.

"No doubt you were brought here by a mysterious suited figure. I only heard his voice when he first contacted me, but I've seen him since. I thought I was lucky to be one of the few members of the public to own a radio, mainly for testing purposes, but that's how he contacted me. Somehow he knew I hadn't been excelling in my experiments, and offered unsurpassed knowledge. He instructed me in the creation of some large machine, and when I turned it on, a shadow leapt out, grabbed me, and I ended up here," he explained.

"... I'm sorry." You couldn't think of much else to say.

"What did he promise you? If you don't mind my asking," he wondered. You still weren't ready to tell him. Sure, you were getting to know each other, and you did find him handsome, but you didn't really know how he thought of you. If the two of you ever were to fall in love, you preferred if it was natural.

"I uh… I don't really remember. I just remember his voice, and pressing the button to get here," you lied.

"I see. Well, what did you like to do in the real world?" he asked.

"I like music, reading, and video games," you told him. "Oh, and drawing sometimes too."

"Ah! I enjoy drawing as well! Sometimes I sketch my invention plans, in addition to specimens and observations from my experiments," he shared. "I also like to read, though there's not much to be read out here. What's a 'video game'?"

"Well, you have a screen like how I described my phone, and it shows you images, and usually a character that you control with keys or a controller: another device that has buttons on it. You use that to control the character or object on the screen to go through a story, accomplish tasks, or enter competitions," you tried to explain.

"I don't know if I fully grasp the concept, but I'm sure they're amazing!" he inferred.

"Anyway, you draw? Do you think you could let me see any?" you pleaded.

"Sure! I'll go get my notes," he agreed as he got up to go find them. He returned with a perforated stack of papers, bound with a string. "I made this to serve as my journal for field notes. It helps me plan what I need to do for the base, keep track of time, lower stress, and account for my experiences here," he explained. "Let me see…" he said as he flipped through the pages. "Ah! By chance, have you seen the spiders here?" he wondered.

"Barley, and that's enough for me," you confessed. While spider's weren't the creepiest thing in the world to you, you dreaded anything with a mouth big enough to bite your head off, which accounts for an unsettling number of the creatures in the Constant. He flipped the page and showed you what he drew and wrote. There was a large picture of a spider, and a stick figure sporting Wilson's signature hairstyle for scale next to it. 

"Are they all that big?" you asked anxiously.

"Yep! But they're easy enough to take care of," he assured. You scanned some of the notes he had taken on the page beside the illustration. Wilson held the book so you could still see the page while he flipped through the ones behind it. "Oh! What about these fellas?" he queried, showing you a picture of a round, one-eyed, long-legged bird. 

"I saw one of those, but it didn't stand up, so I didn't see it like _that_ ," you told him. The label above the drawing said "Tallbird", an apt name, you figured. Wilson showed you a few more of his pictures of the creatures there, and you began to get a grasp on and appreciation for the way he drew. It was very sketchy, and rough around the edges, but seemed to make all of the creepy creatures a bit cuter. Once he ran out of sketches to show, and creatures to explain, he gave you an offer: 

"We'll need some time to prepare, but if you'd like we can go to the swamp to collect reeds and make you a booklet of your own!" he proposed. You smiled.

"I'd like that!" You thought back to the drawings he made of what lurks in the swamp, "But yeah, we are gonna need some time to prepare."


	3. Swamp and Spiders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a few days later and you're ready to take a trip to the swamp.

You awoke at sunrise. Today was the day you were ready to venture into the marsh. You'd gotten a little training to take care of spiders, and Wilson practically had you memorize his accounts of tentacles and "merms" in the swamp.

"So why do you call them 'merms'?" You asked over breakfast.

"Well, mythical humanoid water-dwelling creatures are usually called mermaids or mermen, but the creatures of the marsh don't look human enough to me to resemble maids or men, so I think they're just more of the 'mer' part, only emulating an m's worth of 'maids' or 'men'," he explained, smiling towards the end. You giggled. "Hopefully today won't be the day you see them. We'll have enough to worry about with the tentacles and spiders," he assured. 

Once you both ate some food, you set off on your journey. The swamp was to the south of you, a little under half a day away. You each brought a torch in case you didn't make it back by nightfall. You also had log suits, healing salve, extra food, spears, and materials to make and fuel a fire. You crossed a forest, narrowly slipping by some aggressive frogs, and soon found yourselves on the edge of the swamp. You knew you had arrived when you immediately had to jump back to avoid the low-sweeping swing of a tentacle.

"Are you alright, dearie?" Wilson asked, rushing over and putting a hand on your shoulder. You turned to him.

"Yeah! I'm fine. Guess we're here!" you declared.

"Good. Next, we just have to get to the path. That's the safest way to get through this place, and the reed cave isn't too far off of it," he confirmed, looking at the map. "Should be right this way," he claimed, heading right. You glanced at the map.

"Um, I think we should actually be going left," you told him. 

"No, see the path's over here," he showed you.

"But we're facing south right now, so left and right are opposite of what they are on the map," you pointed out. He turned the map upside-down.

"Ah, there we go, then! That's right."

"Left."

"Er, I meant 'correct'," he amended. You continued towards the path while being mindful of the swamp's edge. Once you found the path, you walked along it until you needed to depart to enter the cave. Once you stepped forward, another tentacle rose up, and you both stepped back before it swung.

"Now, when defeating these creatures, you must be patient." Wilson explained. "When you step into one's periphery, you'll notice movement in the ground where it will arise from, like so." He stepped back where the tentacle had emerged. Once the ground moved, he stepped back. "Then, when it surfaces, quickly step back," he instructed. "Then seize it before it lashes out again, while it's erect." 

You'd chuckle if there wasn't a huge monster in front of you. He stabbed it while it was upright, and jumped back right afterwards before it lashed out again. "And then just repeat the process. It's a lengthy one, but I assure you it's the safest way to handle these things," he acknowledged, continuing to fight it with seemingly remarkable ease. "Although I bet it'd be faster if we attacked at the same time," he hypothesized. "Try it with me, (y/n)!" he insisted. You came closer to the fight, joining to lob your spear and fall back in sync until the arm was defeated. 

"Would it be a good idea for one of us to watch the ground for tentacles, and the other to watch out for other monsters nearby?" You wondered.

"Excellent! Stay behind me, I'll look out for tentacles while you monitor the horizon," he suggested. You quickly got behind him. "Here we go," he began.

"Wait!" You pulled him back by the arm.

"What is it, darling?" He turned around.

"One problem: You're tall. I can barely see over your shoulders," you pointed out. "I should go in front and watch the ground." 

"Are you sure? It would be a lot safer in the back," he insisted.

"It'd be _safer_ if both jobs are done as well as possible. I can't see in the back, I should be up front," you contended. He still looked apprehensive. "I'll be fine!" you promised.

"I know- I just... I still worry," he admitted. You reached out and held his hands.

"I know I'll be fine 'cause I'll be as focused as I've ever been in my life," you assured. "And _if_ anything _does_ happen, we have plenty of healing stuff, and I know I'll be in capable hands." You squeezed his hands and smiled at him before letting go and circling to the front position. You were able to catch a glimpse of him smiling in return. "When I see something, I'll yell 'back'. Then we'll move back before it attacks, and take care of it," you strategized. You then felt his hands on your shoulders. You looked back.

"I'll pull you away if you don't fall back in time," he planned.

"As long as you make sure I don't do the _fall_ ing part," you warned.

"And if I see something coming towards us, I'll tell you the creature and the clock position," he explained. 

"Ready?" you asked.

"Let's set out!" he declared. You began slowly moving forward, watching for changes in the soil. Rather anticlimactic. That was, until you saw the warning sign of an emerging tentacle. 

"Back!" you yelled, jumping to Wilson's left. The monster thrashed, but not far enough to reach either of you. When it corrected its posture, the both of you jabbed it, repeating the cycle until it died. You picked up the parts before getting back in line. You felt Wilson's touch return, this time not on your shoulders, but on your hips. You liked the feeling. ' _There goes some of that laser-focus,_ ' you thought, looking down and stepping forward. You were glad he couldn't see your face, since it was the most red it's been since you met him. ' _I think I've blushed more in this past week than I have in my whole life,_ ' you realized. 

A few tentacles later you reached the maw of the cave. Thankfully those tentacles were the only monsters you encountered on the way. Wilson saw a couple of merm houses, with a merm each outside of them, but they didn't even look in your direction. There were also a hand full of spiders' nests nearby, but there were no active spiders to be seen. 

"I expected the cave to be above ground," you admitted, staring at the hole at your feet. 

"I'm afraid not. We'll have to climb down. Once we're down there, while there are a few holes for light to come through on the surface, it's rather dark. I believe I destroyed all, or very nearly all of the tentacles down there. It's daytime, so the spiders in here should be less active. I recall destroying some dens the last time I was here, but I believe there could still be more," he predicted. "Just try not to step on any webbing." You nodded.

"So uh, who goes first?" you asked. 

"I've been in a few of these before, so I have no difficulty with it. Which would you prefer?" he offered. 

"I guess… second? I'll just make sure you're down off the rope before I climb down so you can move out of the way if I fall," you planned. 

"God willing, you won't fall, but if you did, I hope you know that I'd try my best to catch you," he assured.

"That's nice," you commended.

"Well, we're burning daylight, better get down there!" He began his descent. "The rope's plenty sturdy," he assured on his way down. "Just try not to rappel too quickly, slow and steady wins the race," he advised. Once he was at the bottom, he lit his torch. "All ready, dearie! I'm sure you'll do fine!" 

You began climbing down, keeping a tight grip on the rope, as well as trying to hold it with your legs and feet. You slowly shifted down the rope, following Wilson's advice. You maintained a steady pace, periodically checking how much progress you'd made. You were slower than than Wilson, but before long you reached the bottom. The rope was a few feet off the ground, so you just jumped off once you were near the end. 

"I knew you could do it, darling!" Wilson congratulated. You smiled before looking behind him, and recoiling with a shriek which echoed through the cave. "What's wrong, (y/n)?" he questioned, rushing towards you. You simply pointed, and he looked over. "Oh dear," You were pointing to a skeleton you saw near the rope. "That's no sight for a lady," he decided, turning you away from it. "I've seen a fair number of those during my time here. Never of anyone I've met, so I assume they were ones here before us." He saw that nothing he was saying was calming you down, and put his hands on your shoulders. "Neither of us will die here," he promised, looking into your eyes. You looked away.

"It just caught me off guard is all," you claimed.

You began to look around and promptly saw dozens of reeds, and a particularly large spider nest slightly further into the darkness. You and Wilson quickly shared a knowing look before carefully and quietly fanning out to pick reeds. After you'd gotten a few and ventured farther, you picked up another bundle to find webbing underneath. You looked up to see three spiders approach you. You cautiously moved back, hoping that they'd just back off. However, as the sun started to dim through the holes of the cave ceiling, dusk fell upon you. The spiders didn't retreat, instead coming closer to you. You looked back at Wilson.

"Hey, Wil?" you whispered in a shouting tone. 

"Yes?" he asked without looking up.

"Six o'clock!" you tersely warned. He swiftly turned around and you both readied your new tentacle spikes. 

"It looks to be a tier three den. It'll be challenging, but nothing we can't handle!" he observed, shooting you a smirk at the end. You smiled and nodded back. "Watch my back," he ordered, approaching the first spider. You made sure that if anything outside of his peripheral vision got too close, you'd take care of it. Wilson went in for the first slash, and continued until the first spider was dead.

"10 o'clock!" you shouted, directing him to the next one. There was another approaching at the same speed at 2 o'clock, so you jumped in and took care of it. When you looked up, you saw spiders you recognised from Wilson's drawings, but had never seen in person. They were a bit larger than the other spiders, and had a yellowish coloring. Wilson was facing away from them. "Five and seven!" you yelled. He spun around.

"We need to make some distance," he insisted, taking your arm. You speedily backed up until you were just behind the cave's entrance. Two were nearing you, with a third not far behind. You each slashed the spider nearest to you. After you slashed, it growled, and you could tell it was about to pounce. You jumped back, it jumped right towards you, and you managed to slash it in the air. A couple more hits, and it was dead. 

You heard a thud. You looked to your left to see Wilson on the ground, and a tentacle retreating into the dirt behind him. The warrior got a bite in before you leapt in for the final hit, and another on the one behind. You quickly helped him to his feet, and you defeated the last warrior together.

"There should be three more normal spiders," he anticipated. You slowly neared the den to draw out the remaining few. You defeated two, one of which got a bite in, and Wilson got the last one. The light began to dim further, and you hastily lit your torch. It was only then, by the firelight that you saw the blood that covered almost half of Wilson's face. 

"Oh my God!" you reacted. 

"What? Do I have something on my-" he began, taking a swipe to try and rub off whatever you were referring to. "GAH!" He was surprised to see his hand enveloped in red. "No worries, not nearly as bad as it likely looks," he tried to soothe, his voice shaking. You started to panic a bit.

"Uhhh… ok, ok, sit down," you told him. He did. You grabbed some of the spider silk near you. "Can you get infections here?" you asked.

"If it were possible, they'd have killed me several times over," he assured. You sat in front of him and wiped the blood with silk in order to find the source of the wound. Once you did, you applied the healing salve. Wilson winced from the sting. The wound then closed by itself. Even the remaining blood on his face disappeared. 

"That's crazy," you muttered. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" you asked.

"Yes, but I've got it," he insisted, taking the salve from you. "Damn thing slashed me right in the ankles," he told you, treating his injuries. "Ordinarily, I wouldn't be able to walk with a cut like this, but I've found that even with severe wounds in specific locations, both the pain and the effective damage are spread evenly throughout the body," he explained. Just like that, he finished applying the salve. "There, fit as a fiddle!" he proclaimed, smiling at you. You looked down.

"I know it can be healed fast, but I shouldn't have gotten you hurt like this. I shouldn't have dragged you out here just to get some stupid paper!" you lamented. He laughed. 

"(y/n,) darling, I've been more than twice as battered the other times I've come here in pursuit of 'stupid paper' for myself!" he revealed. "This is the easiest I've gotten off here. Thank you for your help." He paused. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt." 

"I got a little bite, but it's whatever," you assured, taking out some more salve to heal yourself with. Wilson looked towards the cave's opening, and you scooted beside him. "I guess it's a little late to go home, huh?" you supposed. Wilson chuckled and looked back at you.

"I thought we'd make better time, but we got _swamped_ ," he quipped. You smiled and sighed.

"It's like they went out of their way to _bug_ us," you joined in.

"But we really _stuck it_ to those web-spinners!" he declared with a massive grin. His enthusiasm was what really made you laugh.

"Alright, let's make a fire," you suggested. You both worked quickly to set it up, and once it was done, you put out your torch. You leaned against one another and watched the fire. 

"You make this place better, (y/n)," he said, softly. He turned to look at you. "While I wish it was under different circumstances, I'm glad I know you." The reflection of the fire danced in his eyes.

"I'm glad I know you too," you replied. Between the fire and the company, you began to feel very warm. "I uh, I'm gonna try and get some rest," you told him, moving away.

"Oh, um, alright," he murmured. You laid by the fire and attempted to use your backpack as a pillow. "Good night, (y/n)," he sighed.

"Good night, Wilson."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the sheer number of times I said "tentacle" is gonna put me on some kind of list: and not one of marine biologists.


	4. Flowers and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days after your trip to the swamp, and you're having the closest thing you can to a lazy day in the Constant.

Entry 1 

_It's weird not having dates or days of the week to label things. I would have said how many days it's been since I got sucked into this place, but I've lost track. It's not even the first day I've had this book. I couldn't think of what to write for a few days, so I just doodled on the cover page._

_We've been spending the last couple days expanding the farm, since there's technically twice as many people here than there used to be. Wilson also showed me how to use two of his inventions: the "science machine" and the "alchemy engine". I have no clue what the logic behind his naming convention is. He just gets so happy when he talks about science stuff, it's so cute!_

_I guess I said it. I think he's cute. I was kind of trying to push it down at first, since I'd just met the guy, but every day I just find more stuff I like about him. It doesn't help that he calls me "dear" and "darling" all the time; I know he's not trying to be flirtatious, but every time he says it I get hopeful and excited!_   
  


"(y/n) darling, do you have a moment?" Wilson chimed in. You quickly put away your journal and looked up. Wilson looked down at you with a huge smile, and a flower crown in his hair. "I've got a surprise for you, but you must close your eyes!" He insisted. 

_'Case and point,'_ you thought as you closed your eyes. You heard him sit in front of you before feeling something on your head.

"Open up!" Wilson qued. You opened your eyes. "Well, you can't really see it, because it's on your head, but I made you one that matches!" he illustrated, pointing to his own headpiece. He clasped his hands in his lap. He seemed stiff and fidgety, but it wasn't the tension that comes with anxiousness. His smile was genuine. By now, you could tell when he was worried, even when he tried to hide it. This didn't seem like one of those times. He could sense the way you were looking at him. "Do you like it?"

"Of course! It's wonderful, and it's sweet that you thought of me. I was just wondering what's got you so chipper today! Find this world's equivalent to coffee?" you wondered. He laughed. 

"If I had, I'd let you know." He paused. "I realized I had some thinking to do, and I've found that making these garlands allows me to calm down and focus. My nanny taught me how to make them, so when I make and wear them I feel like a kid again and everything seems just a bit less worrisome."

"Is two crowns a lot of thinking?" you asked. 

"I suppose so," he concurred. 

"Mind telling me what about?" You leaned in. _Now_ he looked anxious.

"Well, frankly, I was just thinking about how happy I am that you're here! As the days have gone on, it's made me comprehend that you're here to stay. After being here alone for so long, I have to admit I was worried that you might have been some dream I'd just yet to wake up from. That I'd just wake up one day and you'd be gone. But now I've been able to wrap my mind around the fact that you're real." He paused. "And, I realize that I'm not only happy because I have someone else here, but because it's _you_. I hate that you have to be stuck here -I wouldn't wish this upon anyone- but I know there's no one else I'd rather be stuck here with," he confessed. He stood up. "I... like what I've seen from you so far." He began briskly walking away.

 _'Great, now I'm even more confused!'_ you lamented. _'And why'd he just walk away after that?'_ You decided to add more to your entry.

Wilson's POV 

_'Oh folly! Did I say too much? I just wanted to make her feel appreciated. I'll admit I've developed feelings for her, but she can't know! I'm sure it'd just scare her off if she found out. Until these feelings subside, I'll just have to show her that I enjoy her company, but not let on that I want anything more. Oh but how badly I wanted to hold her just a moment ago! Just to see her beaming back at me, tightly wrapped in each other's arms would be… No! I shouldn't even think of it!'_ I thought as I got to work with the science machine.

Your POV 

After writing about your previous conversation, you decided to check up on Wilson. 

"Sooooo… What's science doing today?" you asked. He chuckled. 

"Oh, the usual," he replied, working with the science machine. "Though the average temperature has been going down for three days now." He gestured to the thermal measure. "So autumn is on the horizon." You went over and tapped the thermometer, watching the liquid inside. It didn't change, but it's not like you expected it to. "Do try to stay away from that, dearie," Wilson warned. 

"Aw, I'm not gonna break it," you protested. 

"No, but you might affect its readout," he clarified. 

"Because of my cold, dark soul?" You dramatically posed with the back of your hand on your forehead. 

"Your soul's about as cold and dark as the sun, (y/n). I'm worried about you being too hot." You stifled a laugh at the phrasing as you moved in next to Wilson. You leaned in over his workspace until you caught his gaze. You leaned back up and his eyes followed you as you spoke.

"If I'm as hot as you say, I must have an effect on whatever's in my environment," you theorized. "Does that include you?" You reached out with both hands, gently cupping his face just under the jaw. You expected some witty remark, but instead he stayed dumbfounded as he blushed as red as his waistcoat. The look in his eyes was somewhere between anticipation and fear, and since you couldn't tell which one it was, you decided to let go. 

"Guess it does." You muttered your deduction, averting your gaze. He looked back at the workbench.

"I know I said w-winter was approaching, but we aren't pressed to st-stay warm quite yet," he stammered. 

"Understood," you affirmed as you began to walk away. _'Ok, so he either blushed that hard because he's_ super _into me, or he's not into me at all and I just made him uncomfortable.'_ You sighed. _'Well, he's supposed to be my "true love", right? But why should I believe that promise? Wilson was promised all knowledge in the universe, and while he is a smart guy, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have it,'_ you concluded. 

"(y/n)!" Wilson called out as he walked towards you. "Since autumn is upon us, it may be a good idea to hunt some beeffalo for meat and pelts. I've got ice boxes and drying racks for keeping the meat fresh, and since their population has just grown, it wouldn't be as dam-"

"I'm in, let's hop to it!" you interrupted. He smiled. 

You spent the next couple hours tracking and hunting beeffalo. Even though you had seen it before, it was still strange to see how when something was killed, it broke down into several parts all on its own. In the real world, you would have had to drag a whole carcass home, skin it, gut it, and if you wanted the horns, you'd have to saw them off. You were glad the Constant worked the way it did. Once you hunted enough, you finished packing up the last remains before heading back to the base.

"So you know how everything here just kind of turns into parts when it's killed?" you prompted.

"Yes?" 

"Well, what do you think we'd leave behind if we died?" you asked. It was meant to be banal, but came off as rather macabre. 

"A skeleton, along with whatever supplies we're carrying, a bit like you saw in the swamp," he said with unsettling certainty. "I've come across a fair number of them during my time here, as well as graveyards," he revealed. "Most of the headstones are inscribed with morbid jokes, but I've found more than one grave with my own name on it." You were shocked. "In my curiosity, I dug some up. I found some gems, which I'm still unsure what to do with, and what I believe to be a ghost which came after me. I was able to lose it when passing a spider den. The whole experience took quite a toll on my mind." 

"I would think so," you surmised.

"I wonder if any of the graves have your name on them…" he hypothesized. "We could always go check!"

"You have to give me a little time in between telling me that ghosts are real here and taking me to a graveyard where I'm supposedly buried," you implored.

"Understandable," he said with a shrug. The sun set as you got back to base. You stored your new supplies and took the beeffalo meat to the freezer. When you were done, you looked down Wilson's corridor of machines and spied one that Wilson had yet to explain. You approached it and saw that it was a top hat suspended by wire, atop a wooden box with a lever. When you looked to its side, you yelped upon seeing a life-size wooden statue of Wilson. _'What the fuck it this stuff about?!'_ you questioned. 

"(y/n) dearie, are you alright?" Wilson walked over, responding to your yelp. You turned to him.

"What the fuck is this stuff about?!" you repeated aloud.

"(y/n), watch your profanity!" he requested. 

"What is this?!" You pulled out the effigy from the corner. 

"Oh! This stuff… I made them when I wasn't in the right frame of mind. This," he gestured to the top hat, "was what I thought I could use to harness magic. I used it to make," He pointed to the statue, "this handsome devil: that was supposed to resurrect me if I died." You laughed.

"Do you remember how that process was supposed to work?" you asked, still holding up the effigy.

"Well, if I were to die, I'm supposed to pop out of it with a new body," he explained.

"So you'd be made of wood?" you questioned.

"Of course not! It's filled with meat, and some of my beard trimmings to serve as identifying genetic material," he revealed. 

"Gross!" you exclaimed, pushing the statue off of you. Wilson couldn't help but laugh. "You just _filled this with_ _meat and hair_ and let it _sit in the sun_?" you questioned. His laughter grew. "Wait…" you began to think. "How long ago did you make this?" 

"It's uh… been a few seasons," he told you.

"Shouldn't this be horribly rotten, and emitting a smell that would knock a buzzard off a gut wagon?" 

"I suppose it should…" he agreed.

"So why _isn't_ it rotten?" you postured. The cogs in your head began to turn once more. "What if it worked?"

"That's preposterous, it couldn't possibly-"

"You just told me there are ghosts here, anything that dies or gets broken down becomes perfectly split into its various parts, and our bodies don't even function the way they do in the real world! If none of that's magic, I don't know what to call it!" you argued. 

"There has to be some kind of other reasonable explanation," he protested.

"In this place, it _is_ a reasonable explanation! Look, if you want you can just think of it as unexplained science, but until we get some explanations, I'm calling it magic," you maintained. 

"There has to be some science in there somewhere," he murmured. 

"It's almost nightfall, so there isn't time to explore it now, but later we can see what more we can make with this machine! By the way, what's this one called?" you asked. He muttered. "What is it?" you grilled.

"The Prestihatitator" he said louder. "I wasn't of clear mind when I named it either," he defended. You could tell he wasn't proud, so you tried to change the subject.

"As long as I don't have nightmares or something, I should be good to go to the graveyard tomorrow too," you promised. He nodded and smiled. 

That night you slept so peacefully that when you got up, you dreaded the impending day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like a lot of the chapters I write are like mullets: fine up front, but crazy in the back (It'll become more evident later).


	5. Mounds and Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to see if there's a grave with your name on it! Hopefully it's already there and not made after this escapade. (This chapter's slightly longer than usual)

It was the next morning, and Wilson insisted on going to the graveyard bright and early. You put on the slightly wilted flower crowns from the previous day before getting weaponry and shovels, and setting out. 

"Hopefully we'll find something with a more intuitive purpose to improve with the Prestihatitator," he wished.

"Still no better name for that?" you challenged. 

"If I had one I'd be using it," he assured. "Are you cold?" You'd been walking with your arms folded.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," you claimed. You were admittedly a little apprehensive about what lay ahead. You weren't really scared of the supernatural back home, but that was mainly because you'd never had to interact with it. Wilson stopped.

"You know, if you're not comfortable doing this, we could always-"

"Nope! I'm fine! I'll be fine!" you insisted, turning to face him. You sighed and slowed your speech. "I _will_ be fine, we're prepared, and I have you!" You hugged him. 

Wilson's POV 

She clung to me with an enormous smile. I smiled back, wrapping one arm around her waist, and petting her hair with the other. I couldn’t help but pause and enjoy the moment. 

“I’ll protect you with my life,” I vowed, breaking the silence. Her expression turned from happy to critical.

“Well don’t do _that_ ,” she condemned. “If we’re in a situation where only one of us will live, it should be you. I probably wasn’t too far from dying when you found me, and that was after only a week. You’ve done much better on your own than me, and even if I still had the base after you died, I’d run it into the ground and die anyway,” she speculated. 

“But (y/n), that’s-”

“Don’t say you’ll protect me with your life, just say… I don’t know, that you’ll try to help me out,” she suggested. I sighed. 

“If that’s what you wish.” She let go and we continued walking. “Although if your hypothesis from yesterday is correct, and my meat effigy is set up-”

“You called that thing your _meat effigy_?” she chastised. “That’s it, you have to get my approval before naming things.”

“Aw! Come now, that one’s not so bad,” I protested.

“The only good thing about it is that it’s a gross sounding name for a gross concept,” she contended. “And y’know what? I’d forgotten. When I woke up this morning I’d forgotten that you’d made a wooden dummy _stuffed with meat and hair_ , and that I’d _touched it_ , and now it all came flooding back,” she bemoaned. It _is_ quite absurd. I laughed.

“It could have been worse,” I alluded. 

“How so?” she asked skeptically. 

“Luckily it was sealed up tightly, you could have gotten meat juice all over you,” I mentioned.

“Ugh! Aaaah! No, no no!” she cringed, waving her arms about and stomping. I decided to have a little fun.

“Really? It’s just a bit of _meat juice_ , that would most likely pour down your back and soak into your clothing,” 

“Aw, gross!” She lightly pushed me, and we both laughed. “I was still thinking about how it could have been rotten,” she expounded. 

“If it was, I certainly would have disposed of it much sooner,” I affirmed. She sighed.

“You’re so lucky I’m already attached to you,” she asserted.I mentally celebrated, trying to hide the extent of my excitement.

“Believe me, I know I am,” I thanked.

Your POV 

You expected him to come back with a joke, so you were taken aback by hearing something so modest and sincere. You held his hand.

"And I'm lucky to have you too." You smiled warmly and he smiled back. You kept holding hands until you reached the cemetery. As soon as you stepped into it, the sky seemed to darken, and you noticed a thin layer of fog coating the ground. Unwittingly, you went to hug Wilson's arm. 

"Don't worry, dearie! Nothing comes after you unless you dig it up," he assured. 

"But isn't that why we're here? To dig up graves?" you reminded. 

"Only the ones with your name on them," he corrected. "My goodness, I don't even know your full name," he realized. 

"(y/n) [m/n] (l/n)," you told him. "Yours?" 

"Wilson Percival Higgsbury," he declared with a smile. You smiled at how old-timey it sounded.

"If we find one of yours, should we dig it up too?" you asked. 

"I suppose so," he agreed. You fanned out to inspect headstones. You found a couple with grim quips before finding one that had already been dug up, engraved: "Wilson P. Higgsbury 1891-1921". You recalled that 1921 was the year he left the real world. ' _So add a year…_ ' you thought.

"Wait, you're thirty-one?" you asked from a distance.

"Oh! I didn't even realize my birthday had gone by! I believe I am," he confirmed, still scanning tombstones.

"I didn't think you were over twenty-five," you admitted.

"Really?" He stood up straight and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's quite generous of you, darling."

"Come on, I mean it! Especially considering you're a hundred-thirty-something to me!" you joked. He grinned. A few moments later and Wilson found a grave of yours. 

"(y/n), I found one!" he called, and you rushed over. 

"(y/n) (l/n) XXXX - 2021" you read. "So uh, guess it's time to crack open this bad boy," you announced, looking down as if you were at the top of a skyscraper.

"If you'd like, I can-"

"No, it's my grave, I should do this myself," you insisted. The soil was loose and the grave was shallow, so you quickly uncovered a pine box casket. You opened it up to find:

"Just some buttons?" you questioned. "And they don't even match..."

"I'm more of a zipper person, myself," Wilson quipped. You took the buttons and kept looking. The two of you dug up a few more graves, containing a broken kazoo, a pair of dentures, and a contained cloud of black fog you dubbed "nightmare fuel", which Wilson claimed to have more of at home. You swore you could see a face in it. With each grave robbed, you became more tense.

"Is it just me, or has the fog gotten thicker since we got here?" you asked.

"It seems so, and it looks to be filled with shadows." Wilson's eyes darted hastily around the area, and you noticed a tremor in his usually nonchalant movements. 

"Let's make the next grave the last one," you suggested. He nodded quickly.

The last grave was deeper into the cemetery than Wilson had ever gone on his own. The tomb was one of his. He dug it up and opened the casket. A light blue light drifted up from within, and looked at the two of you.

"RUN!" Wilson yelled. You both raced away, weaving through the headstones before you. You looked back to check where the ghost was, and tripped on the ditch of previously dug grave. Wilson heard the thud and turned. "(y/n)!" He panicked, running back to help you up. You both got up and ran, but the spirit had gained ground. You kept sprinting, making your way out of the graveyard and into the forest. You shot right of a nearby tree, but when you glanced to your side, Wilson was gone. You promptly looked behind you to see that the ghost was gone as well. 

"Wilson?!" you called as you called as you advanced.

"(y/n)!" he called back. You dashed through the dense foliage towards the sound of his voice. 

"Wilson?!" you repeated. You heard him say the first half of your name before a thump. You ran even faster towards the noise, to find Wilson on the ground, his hands over his face. You spotted the ghost not far behind. As you got him to his feet, the sky began to darken into evening. You both ran a bit further before you spotted a spider den. 

"You go left, I'll go right, step on the webbing to alert the spiders!" you planned. You both followed through, and while the spiders came after you at first, they soon found themselves occupied by the phantom. You both ran a bit farther before reaching the forest's edge. Wilson leaned forward, covering his face again.

"What happened back there?" you asked. 

"I ran into a tree branch, got me right in the nose," he explained. 

"Okay, can you let me see it?" He slowly removed his hands from his face.

"Oh God!" His nose was broken and bleeding. You looked through your supplies, only to realize that you forgot to bring your healing salve. "It's already evening, it's better to get back to camp first and fix you up there anyway," you soothed. The longer you walked, the more skittish Wilson became. Once you were almost home, he yelped before clinging to you.

"Wilson, what's wrong?" you wondered. 

"They're catching up to us!" he cautioned.

"Who is? Oh!" Suddenly, he picked you up and made haste towards the base. When you looked behind, you couldn't see anything coming your way.

"Wilson, what is this about?!" you asked, holding onto him tightly. 

"It's already evening, if we dawdle any longer, they'll become even more fierce," he warned. ' _Who's "they"?'_ you wondered. 

"Well wouldn't it be faster if we both just ran like normal?" you questioned. 

"We did that earlier and got separated twice, it won't happen again," he promised. While you usually wouldn't pass up the opportunity to be carried bridal-style by a man you're attracted to, you were concerned by the fact that he was running from nothing, and had a fairly high chance of falling and injuring himself even further. 

Thankfully you both got back to the base in one piece. Once you were inside, Wilson put on a fire and you got started on some meaty stew in the hope it would be done before nightfall. Afterwards, you got some healing salve and met Wilson at the fire pit. He sat pulling his knees against his chest. You would say he was curled up by the fire, but he looked petrified rather than cozy. You sat down next to him, but he didn't turn to greet you like he normally did. He just kept staring wide-eyed at the fire. 

"You alright, Wil?" you attempted to ascertain.

"I'm thinking that if I stay very still, they'll go away," he hoped.

"What will? You keep mentioning 'them', who are 'they'?" you wondered.

"The shadow creatures, do you not see them? They came out in the fog of the graveyard and followed us back here," he explained. You did recall seeing strange shadows in the fog. You analyzed the shadows around the camp, and had to admit their movements looked suspicious. 

' _They can't be real_ ' you tried to calm yourself. ' _It's just like staring at a pile of clothes in your room in the dark for too long: it only looks off because you're already expecting something scary,_ ' you told yourself. ' _Says the girl that just got chased by a ghost,_ ' another part of you argued. You shook your head. 

"No, they can't be real," you said aloud, trying to convince the both of you. "Either way, look over here, we gotta get you fixed up," you told Wilson. 

"I told you before, I can't move," he whispered.

"Fine," you said, leaning in front of him to get to his face. 

"You should move so much either!" he warned, grabbing your arm. You were shocked by the amount of concern in his look. You tried to think of a way to convince him to let either one of you move. 

"Well, we're in front of a fire, so uh… our shadows are being cast behind us! As long as we have the light here, they'll think we're one of them," you devised. He looked behind him.

"Oh, I suppose so," he concluded. 

"Now look over here," you ordered. He turned to you, and you were able to apply the healing salve. The dried blood disappeared as his nose bent back to its original position. It was almost night, so you stood up to go check on the crock pot. 

"No, no, no!" Wilson tugged on your arm. "You mustn't leave, you have to stay near the fire," he pleaded. 

"Wilson, it's only a few steps away," you argued. He said nothing, but looked up at you with a face full of distress. "It's so close that I'll still be in the light of the fire," you assured him. He slowly released his grip, but never took his eyes off of you as you went to the crockpot and back. "Eat up, hopefully it'll help you feel a little better," you told him, handing him a bowl. You both ate quickly, and you noticed the way Wilson's eyes still darted around. 

You were trying to think of other ways to calm him down when you noticed he no longer had his flower crown. ' _He must have lost it when he hit that branch_ ,' you figured, because you couldn't recall seeing him with it after that. You took off your garland and put it on his head. 

"But now you don't have one," he lamented.

"How about we just make another one!" you suggested, hoping it would calm him down further. "I'll just go get the petals." 

"Be careful, dearie," he cautioned. You quickly returned with the flowers and sat back down next to Wilson.

"I never actually learned how to make one of these, do you think you could show me?" you asked. 

"I'd be glad to!" he replied, showing his first smile since leaving the graveyard. You knew full well how to make one, but you knew he enjoyed teaching you things, and thought it'd help take his mind off of the situation. He explained how to make them, showing you as he went before handing it off to you. "And then you just repeat the process until you've braided to the correct length, and join them up at the beginning," he instructed. You continued the garland while trying to think of other ways to make Wilson feel better.

"What'd the florist say when they got an influx of customers?" you asked. 

"I don't know," he replied, propping up his head on his hands.

"Business is really _blooming_!" It was corny, but it was the best you could come up with at the moment. Wilson seemed to enjoy it, so that's all that really mattered to you. "How would you ride a bike made of flowers?" you set up. 

"I don't know!" This time he had a wide smile.

"You push the _petals_!" you quipped. He laughed out loud. You were happy for his amusement, but worried for his taste. ' _Maybe that's just a side-effect of the crazy,_ ' you hoped. 

"What's a flower's weapon of choice?" Wilson asked. 

"I dunno, what is it?" you replied. 

"A _pistil_!" he joked. You looked at him blankly. "A pistil, it's the uh, the female part of the flower, where the seeds are produced." It's been a long time since you took biology. He picked up a flower, pulling off some of the petals and the epidermis to reveal the flower's inner workings before explaining them to you. You listened, occasionally glancing over as you continued the flower crown, hoping to get it done before nightfall. 

You did, but just barely. Once the sun was completely down, Wilson became a bit more weary again. 

"I think it'd be a good idea to turn in early," you suggested. 

"No, I have to make sure the fire stays lit," he insisted. 

"You built this place yourself, you should know how safe it is," you argued. "At least get in your bedroll, please? For me?" you pleaded. 

"Fine," he groaned. You both got into your bedrolls, which laid on opposite sides of the fire. After a moment, he sat up. "This will never do," he complained, getting out of his sleeping bag and rolling it up. 

"Wilson, what're you doing?" you wondered. He walked over and unfurled his bedroll next you yours, so you were now in between him and the fire. "You sure you don't wanna be closer to the fire?" you asked.

"This way, I can better keep an eye on you and the fire at the same time," he explained.

"But you should really be _sleeping_ ," you noted. He didn't reply. "Just try laying down," you urged. "Please?" He did so with a dissatisfied expression. You tried to think of something that would calm him enough to sleep. Something relaxing: maybe something that reminded him of home. You looked up above and saw the moon with no glow. It simply hung there like paper stuck to an inky sky. You got an idea. You were a little hesitant, but you supposed it couldn't hurt. You leaned in and began to sing a song you hoped he might have heard in his own time. 

"The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see

For the moon refused to shine

Couple sitting underneath the willow tree

For love, they pined

Little May was kinda 'fraid of darkness

So she says "I guess I'll go."

Boy began to sigh, looked up to the sky

Told the moon his little tale of woe

So shine on

Shine on harvest moon

Up in the sky

I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July

Snow time ain't no time to stay 

outdoors and spoon

So shine on

Shine on harvest moon 

for me and my gal

Snow time ain't no time to stay 

outdoors and spoon

So shine on

Shine on harvest moon-" 

"For me and my gal..." Wilson softly sung the last line with you. You smiled down at him warmly, happy to know that your guess was correct. 

"Now go to bed, alright?" you whispered. He was already fighting to keep his eyelids open. "G'night, Wil," you sighed as you laid down. 

"G'night, love." he murmured back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Mu9fh23dY (link to the end song, "Shine on Harvest Moon")  
> This is a 1931 cover/arrangement, the original song was published in 1908


	6. Winter and Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter comes and you and Wilson warm up to each other in more ways than one.

It was a few days after your graveyard excursion, and you had both fully recovered. Wilson had kept warning how soon winter was coming, but you didn't really believe him. After all, it was mid summer when you arrived, and you couldn't have been there for more than a month. Either way, he already made another thermal stone, along with warm clothes, insisted that you both start sleeping in tents instead of your usual bedrolls, and even grew out a beard. You thought he was just being overly-cautious until you emerged from your tent one morning to find the world covered in snow. ' _He really wasn't kidding when he said winter sneaks up fast,_ ' you thought. You put on some warm layers and ear muffs before stepping over to Wilson's tent to tell him the news. 

"Hey Wil! Come check this out, it's snowy all of a sudden!" 

"Hm? Just a minute, dearie." He still sounded a bit groggy. A moment later he came out wearing a striped beanie with a pom-pom, and a puffy vest. You grinned at how cutesy it was compared to his normally dignified style. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. 

"It really came on quickly," you noted. 

"Believe me, it's s _no_ w joke," he quipped. You rolled your eyes and smiled. 

"Seriously though, it was summer like a week ago, shouldn't it still be fall?" you questioned. 

"Seasons work differently here. The weather is temperate for the good part of a month, and then, bam! Jack frost hits you with a cold front." 

"Quite the cold shoulder, huh?" you joked. He grinned. "So when you said you'd been here about a year…" you began.

"Approximately 365 days," he explained. "No doubt I've been through about a dozen cycles of this, and I've done enough trial and error to know what works best. Speaking of which, we should check the traps around the base,” he suggested. 

You heated up your thermal stones while eating breakfast before grabbing some weapons and going to the outer edge of the base. You went along the perimeter of the traps and replaced any that were broken. You were almost done when you heard a growling sound from not too far away.

“Did you hear that?” Wilson asked. 

“Could that be the hounds now?” you wondered. 

“Almost certainly,” he replied. “Let’s get back inside quickly,” he urged. You hurried back to the heart of the base and reheated your thermal stones. You were able to hear some yelps from the dogs outside, and even though you knew they were trying to kill you, their pained barks weren’t exactly music to your ears. You tried to think of something else to do than stay by the fire and listen to that noise. 

"Hey, why don't we fire up the Prestitid- Prestitit-"

"The Prestihatitator?" he corrected.

"That!" you conceded, already making your way over. He followed you there as you began rummaging through nearby chests. You laid out anything that seemed magical along with your trinkets from the graveyard to see what could be made. "Let's start out with something simple," you decided. You picked up one blue and one red gem. 

"What are you hoping to make?" Wilson asked.

"Just some combination of the two, I guess," you said, dropping them into the top hat and pulling the lever. The machine chugged for a moment before wavering and spitting out a gem.

"Ow!" It hit you right in the forehead as it bounced out. Luckily, you caught it in your hands. "They turned into a purple one!" you remarked. 

"So your hypothesis was correct!" Wilson extolled. 

"Uhhhh, what else could we make…" you wondered.

"Oh! There was an item we neglected to procure in this assortment," he realized, digging through a chest. "I believe this to be some kind of religious artifact," he stated, showing you a lawn gnome. You had to laugh. 

"And I bet this," you began, holding up the fake kazoo, "is some kind of _sacred_ instrument." He pouted. 

"That's clearly a kazoo, and a broken one at that. _This_ must be some kind of idol, what other use would it have in a place like this?" he questioned. 

"Well in my time, people just use them to decorate their gardens," you revealed. 

"You decorate with stout old men in pointy hats? My, how tastes seem to have changed in the future…" he mused. 

"Hey, it's not like I invented them!" you defended, swiping the gnome from him. "Now let's see… Ah!" You spotted the nightmare fuel, and wondered if you could use it to bring the gnome to life. You placed both ingredients into the hat. "THROW THE SWITCH!" you commanded. "RISE, MY BEAUTIFUL CREATION!" you bellowed as the machine clanked and sputtered. It stopped, and you both leaned in as a string of black fog began to drip from the brim of the hat. You clung to Wilson in anticipation. 

"Egad!" he hollered, pulling you out of the line of fire as the gnome rocketed out of the hat. Thankfully it managed not to break when it hit the floor. You looked at each other with alarm, which dissolved into laughter. Wilson picked up the gnome while you collected the pooling nightmare fuel. 

"What was that _supposed_ to accomplish?" he asked. 

"I was hoping to bring it to life or something," you explained. 

"Life…" he pondered. "What if we could create some sort of life-giving talisman?" he imagined. 

"That'd be great! How would we make it?" you wondered. Rather than reply, he just hummed as he started gathering the materials. Over his shoulder, you could see that he held some gold, a red gem, and some nightmare fuel. 

"This ought to do it!" he decided, dropping the materials into the Prestihatitator. He pulled the lever. The machine chugged and bounced before halting. Wilson stuck his hand inside of it.

"GAH!" he squawked, retracting his arm.

"What is it?" you asked.

"I felt something that shouldn't be in there. Something like-" At that moment, you both yelped as a white rabbit leapt out of the hat and bounded away. 

"Should we try to catch him?" you asked.

"He'll find his way out and onto the tooth traps eventually," he grimly predicted.

Wilson looked down into the hat before sticking his hand inside, pulling out an amulet, and smiling ear to ear. "I feel safer just holding it!" he declared. You smiled back. Just then, the sun began to lower into dusk. 

"Sunset already?" you remarked. "The days really are short." 

"But the evening is long and cold, with night being colder still," he expounded. "It'd be best to start dinner and go back to the fire," he suggested. There was something you started thinking about as you cooked: You missed not having a kitchen to cook in. You didn't have the nerve to say anything until you finished eating by the fire. 

"I miss home," you admitted. "I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss roofs, I miss my bed-"

"I know it's a lot," Wilson recognised, staring into the fire. "Believe me, I couldn't stomach being here when I first arrived, but… you get used to it. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I've found the best thing to do is try not to think about the old world. It only-" He looked to his side to see that you were crying.

Wilson's POV 

' _Oh dear, I'm not quite sure how to handle this._ ' 

"(y/n)-" Her eyes widened before turning away. "(y/n), it's alright," I attempted to assure, putting a hand on her shoulder. I could only hear her stifled, erratic breaths. "I'm sure we'll find a way out sooner or later."

"But you- you've already been here a whole year," she argued. 

"There's still plenty I've yet to explore! And now that I've got a partner to help me, I'm sure we'll have much greater success," I hoped. Her breathing began to even, but she didn't respond. I decided to hug her from behind. "You'll get home someday. And until then, I want to make you as happy as I can here." She chuckled softly.

"Your beard tickles," she noted. She looked back to face me and softly smiled, tears still in her eyes. As I started to wipe them away, she turned the rest of her body back towards me. Once her face was dry, I simply held my hands there for a moment. She placed one of her hands over mine.

"Thank you, Wilson," she said, softly gazing into my eyes.

"You're always welcome, (y/n)." I could feel myself leaning in. As soon as I caught myself, I stopped. ' _Now's not the time for that_ ,' I decided. I removed my hands from her face and looked into the fire. "We should probably turn in for the night, if that's fine with you," I suggested.

"Oh! Uh- yeah, sure, that's fine," she stammered. I just knew that if we stayed like that any longer -curled up by the fire, looking into each other's eyes- I would have kissed her. It wasn't the right time, but I just wanted to show her how much I love her! ' _Love?_ ' I thought as we entered our tents. ' _I'll have to unpack that._ ' Once inside, I only stared at the tented ceiling. ' _Do I love her? I think she's witty, caring, and bubbly. She's already saved me on a couple of occasions. I've thought she was pretty since I first saw her. My heart rate goes up if she so much as touches me, and I'm taken aback by even a simple smile. I'm happy whenever she's around. I even loath waking up before her just because it creates a brief period of time where we're apart. There have been some nights when I wished I could have kept her with me, and held her in my arms as we fell asleep. I suppose those are some of the many side-effects of love,_ ' I figured.

"Hey Wil, you still awake?" I was startled as I heard (y/n)'s voice from her tent. 

"Yes?" I wondered.

"Is it _super_ cold, or is it just me?" she asked. 

"I'm doing well," I told her. Though perhaps it was all my deliberation that warmed me up. "I presume you're too cold?" 

"Yeah. Do you… do you think I could stay with you?" I got a pit in my stomach. 

"Ab-Absolutely! Come right over," I invited. ' _Oh what a sense of humour the universe has_.' A moment later, she opened the flap of the tent, wrapped up in her blanket. 

Your POV 

When you opened the tent you realized the ramifications of your proposition. The tent was no more than four feet wide, and there was Wilson, the least formal you'd ever seen him. He had no waistcoat or gloves, and his collared shirt was untucked, and unbuttoned lower than usual. ' _It might have been a little_ too _hot in here if he didn't have the beard,_ ' you thought. It's not that he didn't look good with facial hair, you just missed the sharp features you remembered underneath it. The beard aged him, and made him look more like a survivalist than the gentleman scientist you knew he was on the inside. You entered the tent and adjusted your blanket. Even with you both on the edges of the tent, there were only a few inches of separation in between. You turned onto your side, facing away from him. 

"Good night, Wilson," you told him.

"Good night, (y/n)." It took you a little longer than usual to fall asleep. 

* * *

When you awoke the next morning, you thought the blankets felt a little heavy. You had a hard time moving, and after your torpor began to wear off, you realized that you were wrapped in Wilson's arms. You could feel his cadenced breaths and ample facial hair against the back of your neck. He held you closely, and certainly kept you warm like you'd hoped. You were faced with two options: either wake him up and bring to light that he was holding you like some childhood comfort item, or simply enjoy the moment for a bit longer, and wait until he awakes and comes to that realization on his own. You opted for the latter. 

A bit later, you felt a stir, along with a sigh of drowsiness from the man behind you. You decided to pretend to still be asleep. 

"Oh goodness," you heard him whisper under his breath. He tried to carefully unwrap his arms, and you "woke up". You turned to lay on your back, opened your eyes, and smiled at him. He still had one arm pinned under you, and a hand on the side of your waist. He looked nervous. His anxiousness told you that this was accidental. You sat up and stretched to pretend like you didn't notice, attempting to save him from embarrassment. 

"Good morning, Wilson!" you chimed, looking back at him. 

"Ah, yes, good morning!" He sat up. 

"Did ya sleep well?" You tried to hide the mischief in your grin.

"Uh, yes. You?" he asked. You nodded. 

You ended up sharing a tent for the rest of the winter, though to your dismay, that was the only morning you awoke in Wilson's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate the extent to which I research extremely minor things: I researched the history of garden gnomes. They were invented by ancient Rome and originally depicted some of their gods, so Wilson's assessment isn't too far-off. They started making them again in 1700s Switzerland, followed by mid 19th century Germany and France. Some were sent to England, but interest didn't really kick up until the mid 20th century, so it's not unlikely that Wilson hadn't seen one in the real world.


	7. Spring and Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter melts into spring, and you and Wilson decided to explore the world a bit further. (This chapter's almost twice as long as the others)

One morning, you felt awfully warm, so you decided to leave the tent and let Wilson sleep in while you got started on breakfast. As you stepped outside, you saw that the snow of winter had left just as abruptly as it arrived. Spring had sprung. Once you were almost done cooking, Wilson appeared, with his beard already shaved. You beamed at him.

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" you ribbed. 

"Yes, I do believe we've met before, but it feels like an awfully long time ago," he joked. Once breakfast was ready, you both sat by the fire pit and ate. Though the chill of winter was gone, you kept the practice of sitting close. "Since winter is over, I was wondering if you wanted to do some exploring. We would bring some supplies and camp out for a few days as we survey the land, looking for any hints to the nature of this world," he suggested.

"That sounds great!" you accepted. "What direction should we go in?" you asked. 

"I'll go get the map!" he rejoiced. You were glad to see his smile without the beard in the way. He hurried back to you, map in hand. "We are here," he pointed towards the center of the map, where he had a little drawing of the base. "We're in a small field with the forest to the south, southeast and east. Further south is the marsh. To the west are the savannah and rocky terrain, and the graveyard is in the northwest. I must admit I haven't ventured very far north or northeast," he explained.

"So I guess it's decided!" you concluded. 

“Splendid! We’ll spend today preparing and set off tomorrow morning!” he announced. You spent the rest of the day packing weapons, tools, food, and other supplies for your big expedition tomorrow.

That night, you figured the two of you would switch back to bedrolls to accommodate for the weather. You already had a couple of bedrolls prepared for when winter ended, but truth be told you were enjoying sharing a tent with Wilson. His presence calmed you in the night, and you liked seeing his brief torpidity in the morning. He was always planning or working on something during the day, so it was nice to see him in the moments before his wheels started turning at their usually accelerated pace. You were also holding out hope that you’d wake up in his arms again, accidentally or otherwise. Once you both agreed it was bedtime, Wilson headed for the tent once again. You looked at him with a mixture of confusion and jubilance, and he motioned you over.

“Forget something? Come along, love!” You lit up even more. He hadn’t called you “love” since the night you came back from the graveyard, and you had since attributed it to his brief dance with insanity. While you figured it didn't mean he _loved_ you, it still made fireworks go off in your head.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” you assured as you hurried over. You stopped before entering the tent just to smile at him. 

“Ladies first,” he insisted, gesturing to the ‘door’.

“Thank you, my good sir,” you accepted with a fake curtsy. You entered the tent with Wilson just behind. As you got under the blankets, Wilson took off his gloves before unbuttoning a couple extra buttons on his shirt and removing his waistcoat. He was aware that you had been observing him, but said nothing about it. This had become your nightly routine, but you felt that this time was different. You hadn’t realized how different Wilson seemed without the beard. All of his actions seemed more youthful again, and you could notice more of the subtleties in his expressions. You were glad to see his entire, and you had to admit, handsome face. Soon, he joined you under the covers.

“Ready to turn in, darling?” he asked, with a hand propping up his head as he laid facing you. He said it with exactly the same tone and posture that he had every other night, but this felt different too. You swore you saw a slight upturn on his lips when he spoke, and began to wonder if it had just been hidden from your view all winter. Before, his expression simply seemed tired, but the usual soft, almost amorous look in his eyes combined with that newfound sly smile made you feel something distinct from every night before it.

“Mm-hmm,” you remembered to reply. 

“Good night, (y/n),” he said as he covered the light. He rolled over, now facing away from you.

“Good night, Wilson,” you answered, turning onto your back to look at the ceiling. You just couldn't get his face out of your head. Next to you, you felt him shift. ' _His expression didn't match up with the words he said,_ ' you thought. You didn't know if it was meant to, but his look came off as seductive. You turned your head in his direction.

"AH!" you yelped. He was looking right back at you. He yelped in response to yours, and you uncovered the light. "How long-" you began.

"Just- just a moment!" he mitigated. 

"You don't _always_ …" 

"No! No, no, of- of course... not." You couldn't tell if he was nervous from the accusation or from attempting to lie. "I just… can't sleep," he sighed.

"Me neither," you admitted.

"Anticipating tomorrow?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," you fibbed. 

"Meeeee toooooooo," he claimed. That certainly sounded like a lie. You just wondered what he was _really_ thinking about.

"Y'know, we don't _need_ sleep here, we could just stay up," you offered.

"I suppose so…" He mulled it over. "Okay then, what should we do instead?" 

"We could just talk," you suggested. He nodded and you both sat up, facing each other. Wilson shared a few stories from the Constant before you arrived, and you both traded stories from back home. When he spoke about his home life, you thought of a question it'd be important to get an answer to:

"Was there ever a Mrs. Higgsbury?" you wondered. You'd feel bad if you'd been pinning after a married man this whole time.

"Oh no, I was never exactly popular with women," he admitted. 

"Aw, what? No way!" you rejected. He laughed. "I bet you had women trying to break down your door every day, but you just couldn't hear it over the machines," you asserted. 

"You flatter me, (y/n)," he told you between laughs. 

"I mean it…" you said shyly. He stopped laughing and just gave a look of pleasant surprise. He didn't noticeably blush, but it was enough to turn his ears red. 

"And what about you?" he asked. 

"No, I wasn't with anybody either," you confessed. 

"Undoubtedly evaluating thousands of offers," he presumed. Now you laughed.

"Yeah, all zero of them!" you corrected with a chuckle.

"Impossible! Then perhaps they were all too intimidated to approach you," he surmised. You laughed again. "Really! I bet they were all just afraid of the possibility of rejection." His expression saddened as he stared off at nothing in particular. "Too scared that they might lose you altogether if they ever revealed the depth of their ardor," he sighed.

"You talk like you've been there," you gathered. 

"Me? No, I must finally be getting tired." He wasn't a second ago.

"You sure there was no one back home?" you checked.

"That, I can assure you of." He looked you right in the eye. He was telling the truth. "We should try to get just a bit of rest, shouldn't we?" he advised.

"Okay, fine," you agreed. 

"Good night again, (y/n)," he told you, getting under the covers.

"Good night for real, Wilson."

* * *

You only slept about the length of a nap before the sun arose. Wilson nudged you awake.

"Wake up, (y/n)! We need to set off early," he whispered. You sat up and stretched as he buttoned his shirt and waistcoat. He exited the tent before you to tuck in his shirt while you got yourself situated. As you crouched, emerging from the tent, Wilson offered a hand, and you took it as you stepped out and stood up straight. You turned to him and adjusted his collar. 

"Good morning!" you told him, hands resting on his shoulders. 

"Good morning, (y/n)!" he replied. It was just like every other morning. "Do you think you could start on breakfast while I double-check the supplies?" he asked.

"Sure thing!" you agreed. 

After you completed your tasks individually, you came together to eat breakfast before heading north. 

"Is there anything specific you're hoping to find?" you asked.

"Anything with the possibility of getting us home would be top of the list, but aside from that… I suppose it would be nice to find a larger or more upscale pig village. I've only seen them living in small groups, so to find a bigger or more advanced group would be interesting to study," he expounded. "What about you?"

"I dunno. That stuff would be cool, but I also don't want to get my hopes up," you told him. 

As you walked, the landscape changed from open fields to the forest, which seemed to get more dense the further you went. Once it was mid-evening, you decided to make camp. There was no natural clearing, so you and Wilson chopped down some trees to make room for your tent, and a fire. You cooked and ate dinner before going to bed. This pattern repeated for three days, and had you questioning if you were traveling in circles. 

"At least we know we'll never have a shortage of wood," Wilson tried to joke.

The next day, you finally reached a field filled with bee hives, with the ocean on the other side of it. You decided to set up camp early near the edge of the clearing, on the forest side, away from the bees.

"They're much less active in the evening," Wilson assured. You just poked at the burgeoning fire as the sun set. You felt a drop on your head, and looked up. It was starting to rain. Hopefully it would just be a sprinkle.

"So this trip was pretty much a bust, huh," you lamented. "I thought we'd find _something_ of value, but all we saw were trees."

"Yes, well, it's better to see and know that it's only trees than to spend time just wondering," he tried to assure. You both just sat in defeat, staring at the fire. Soon Wilson looked up and realized it was raining too. "Oh bother," he muttered. Well, we might as well turn in for the night," he surmised. You both got in the tent, and before long, all you could hear was the pounding rain.

"I don't think it's rained like this since I've been here," you remarked. "It snowed in winter, and it sprinkled in fall, but I don't think I've been here for full-on rain."

"I'm not exactly fanatical about the rain," he expressed. "Makes my hair all frizzy." You had almost managed to fall asleep when Wilson piped up. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"Shhh!" He popped his head out of the tent as he listened. His eyes went wide as he looked back to you. "Hounds! We must ready our weapons!" he commanded. He dashed out to get the spears, which laid next to the outside of the tent. You ran out right after him

"AH!" The hounds were already upon you. You screamed as one gnawed your right leg. 

"(Y/N)!" 

He tossed you a spear from where he stood, and you used it on the mutt attacking you. It took a few good stabs, as you speared the body first. Once you got the head, since it was still holding onto you, you ended up spearing through your own leg in the process. At least the hound was dead. You looked up to see Wilson fighting another one.

In the second you were distracted, another hound leapt up, bit your left arm, and you shrieked, falling to your knees. Wilson looked back to see your current predicament, striking the final blow on a second hound that leapt at him without even looking at it. He ran over and skewered the hound on your arm, but you were pulled back and hit the ground along with it. You sank slightly into the cold mud. It was then that your vision began to blur. You could make out Wilson fighting off the rest of the hounds as they came, but even though you tried to fight it, your eyes closed, and you entered the darkness.

* * *

"(y/n), please! You shouldn't die, you have a pulse! You can't die! Please!" you heard Wilson blubber as you regained consciousness. Once you groaned and opened your eyes, you saw that it was night time, and still drizzling. Your head was against Wilson's chest. On his knees, he propped up your top-half as he held you tightly. "(Y/N)! Are you alright? Can you hear me? Are you feeling any better?" he blathered. You looked down to see that you were wearing the amulet that Wilson made during the winter, and by your side, an empty container of healing salve. You then remembered to speak.

"Well, being awake means I'm better than before, right?" you asked. His face lit up with the biggest smile you'd ever seen. 

"Oh thank goodness!" he raved, pouncing on you with a hug. It was also the tightest he had ever held you. You felt his cheek against yours, and though you first thought it was just the rain, you realized his face was wet with tears. "I thought I'd lost you! Ugh, I've never been so worried! He wailed. You got the strength to wrap your arms around him, with a hand on the back of his head. Come to think of it, you'd never gotten the chance to feel his hair. You ran your fingers through his wet hair with one hand, and rubbed his back in a circular motion with the other. You were both soaked from the rain. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm fine now," you soothed. He continued to weep. "Everything's alright! I'm feeling better by the second, I think this amulet you made is working!" you tried to cheer him up. "I'm okay, in a little bit it'll be like it never happened!" you assured.

"But it _did_ happen, and you almost _weren't_ okay!" he protested, leaning back. You could see his face now, filled with anguish. His brief anger melted back into sorrow. He buried his face in his hands. "Stupid! Stupid! I was too slow! I should never have-"

"Wilson! You did the best you could!" you assured him. You moved his hands away from his face and held them. "You've gotten hurt tons of times! With my record, I'm surprised I hadn't gotten hurt like this sooner," you admitted. 

"But I've never lost consciousness here! If I'd gotten hurt that badly on my own, whatever did it to me would have finished the job," he acknowledged. 

"Exactly! I wasn't on my own, you saved me, so you have nothing to be worried about!" you promised. 

"But you shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place!" he contended.

"What else could you have done?" you questioned.

"Anything that would keep something like this from happening!" 

"Wilson!" You grabbed his face. "You did your _absolute_ best. It could have gone way worse, but everything turned out okay. It's pointless to go into 'what ifs', it's in the past. We'll just remember to be more prepared next time," you told him. He stopped crying, but he was looking down. You sighed before wiping the tears from his face, though it was fruitless to combat against the rain. "My poor Wil…" you thought aloud. His eyes met yours again. "You can still cry if you want to, I just don't want you to beat yourself up about this, okay?" His eyes began to water again. His look softened and he almost smiled. "We don't _both_ have to get beaten up tonight," you joked. His expression soured. "Too soon? I'm sorry-" He grinned. 

"No, you're right, I shouldn't let this keep _dog_ ging me," he quipped. You smiled as you continued to hold his face. He placed a hand on one of yours.

"I think it's time we get you to bed," he recommended. 

You both got into the tent and used the blankets to try and dry off a little. Once that was done, you began your nightly routine. You looked over to Wilson. His hair was still droopy and sodden, coming down to his shoulders in soft curls. As he took off his waistcoat, you noticed that his white collared shirt was soaked through, leaving little to the imagination. You quickly looked away. ' _He looks like he should be on the cover of some raunchy romance novel,_ ' you joked to yourself. 

"You're sure you're feeling alright, (y/n)?" he asked, still fiddling with his shirt. 

"Uh-huh! Yup!" The rain started to become more intense. "Right as _rain_!" you quipped. He turned to face you. 

"Hm. You're looking a bit red. Are you cold, perhaps?" he wondered.

"Oh yeah, that must be it!" you fibbed as you got under the covers. You were glad the sound of pounding rain covered that of your pounding heart. Wilson got partially under the covers before propping up his head with his hand and asking the same question he did every night:

"Ready to turn in, darling?"

"Yup! Good night!" You quickly turned over to face away from him. His half-lidded eyes and brash grin were enough to fluster you on a normal night, but his appearance tonight proved all too much for you. The tent darkened as he covered the light. Once you heard him lie down, you flipped to lay on your back. You stared at the ceiling trying to get his image out of your mind, to no avail. You could only think of his seemingly amatory gaze, and the way his practically transparent shirt clung to his toned figure, which you were previously unaware of. Your cheeks grew rosy as your heart attempted to outpace the rhythm of the rain which battered the tent. You dared to look over to Wilson once more:

"GAH!" You sat up. "Seriously?" Again, you caught him looking right back at you. "You're _sure_ you don't do this every night?" 

"Positively! I just-" He sighed. "I must admit that I'm still feeling a bit paranoid. I don't even want to let you out of my sight," he confessed. 

"Wilson, you really should get some sleep," you advised.

"I know I _should_ , but I doubt that I will," he expected. 

"Well, you just wanna make sure I'll be okay, right?" you affirmed. He nodded. "Do you remember the first night we shared a tent?" you began. 

"I believe so."

"I don't know if you remember, or if you knew that I knew, but you ended up holding me in your sleep," you revealed. He winced.

"I was still hoping you hadn't realized… I promise I didn't mean to. I'm sorr-" 

"It's fine, really. I was just wondering if doing that again might make you feel less nervous," you proposed. 

"Are you for certain? I wouldn't want to impose," he contended. 

"Really, I don't mind," you insisted, scooting closer to him. You looked up into his eyes, which widened before looking away. 

"Do you think you could f-face the other way?" he asked, his voice slightly shaky. You flipped over, and he wrapped his arms around you gingerly. "You said you were cold before? Well you've certainly warmed up!" he observed. He tightened his hold, snuggling into you. He rested his head in the crook of your neck. You could feel his stubble against your skin. "Good night, (y/n)," he yawned. 

"Good night, Wil."

* * *

The next morning, you were happy to wake up in Wilson's arms once again. You turned over to face him, and cupped his cheeks with both hands.

"Good morning, Wilson!" you hummed. His eyes slowly fluttered open. Once his gaze met yours, he smiled with that same drowsy expression you found so intoxicating. 

"Good morning, love," he greeted, pulling you closer. Your body was pressed against his and your foreheads touched. Your eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he just kept looking into them with his half-closed. Your heart pounded and your body warmed. 

"Morning!" you nervously repeated.

"Yes, morning," he echoed, unwrapping his arms and sitting up. He rubbed his eyes before stretching with a groan. You sat up and observed him as he grabbed his waistcoat and put it on. He stepped outside as you stretched. You sorted yourself out before exiting the tent, taking Wilson's hand, and standing upright. You turned to him and adjusted his collar. Some days you've found yourself 'adjusting' his collar even when it didn't need it. You supposed you just liked the intimacy of it. "We're heading back home today," he reminded you. "I figure we should take a different path than when we came. There's still a chance we could find something of interest on this trip," he posited.

"Sounds good to me," you agreed. You ate breakfast before setting off a little ways away from the route you took to get there. Once again, you spent the whole day navigating the forest. Once evening came, you chopped down trees to make yourselves a clearing to set up camp. When you were collecting wood, you noticed a white stick under a log. You picked it up and screamed. Wilson rushed to your side. 

"What is it, dearie?" You pointed to the bone you had dropped. 

"Goodness, what is this thing?" He wondered, picking it up. It had a horned eyeball on the end that looked back and forth between the two of you as you spoke.

"How do you know it's safe to touch that thing?" you worried. 

"I wonder if this has anything to do with those eye-plants…" he wondered, stroking his chin. You felt something brush against your leg, and instinctively clung to Wilson. "What now?" he asked. You looked down to see a fuzzy brown creature. It turned to Wilson and pawed his leg with its own stubby extremities before letting out a chipper bark. He handed you the eyebone, which you glanced at in concern before turning back to the creature. Wilson picked it up by the horns and held it at an arm's length. "Friend or foe?" he asked it sternly. It only panted as it tried to run with its legs in the air, and barked once more. It seemed to smile. "You're not going to bite my head off, are you?" he grilled further, daring to hold it closer. It barked again. It swung back and forth a couple of times to gain momentum. Once within range, it released its wide tongue and licked Wilson's face. "Blimey!" he exclaimed, closing his eyes and trying to wipe off his face on his upper arm. You giggled a little.

"Not acid spit, right?" you japed. Though at the same time, you were a bit uneasy. With all of the other weird fauna in this world, acid spit was a real possibility. 

"No…" He thought for a moment. "This little chap seems friendly," he remarked. It barked in agreement. 

"You sure about that?" you asked as Wilson put him down. He pawed at your leg next. Cautiously, you picked him up with one arm. You couldn't see his eyes, but he seemed to look up at you, his tongue loosely hanging from his mouth. You found yourself smiling. "I guess he's like some weird dog," you figured. Just then, he lobbed his tongue like a frog, coiling it around the eyebone before stashing it in his mouth. "Uhhhhh-" Panicked, you flipped him over, mouth facing the ground, and shook him, trying to retrieve the bone.

"Good heavens, woman!" He snatched the creature away. "I'm sure all he needs is a little coaxing," he assured. "Come now, chum, give 'er here," he muttered as he scratched the critter's chin. It then opened its mouth at an impossibly wide angle, exposing the bone lodged inside. Wilson delicately pulled it out, and the creature closed its mouth again. "...Hardly even moist," he remarked, holding the bone. 

"Soooooo, what are we gonna do with the little guy?" you asked. 

"Do you want to stay with us?" he asked in a sappy voice. It barked before licking Wilson's face again, which he was more receptive to this time around. "I believe that's a 'yes'!" 

"What should we call him?" you wondered. Wilson sized him up. 

"Otto von Chesterfield, Esquire," he decided. "Perhaps 'Chester' for short!" 

"That's your _go to_?" you asked in disbelief. He nodded. You dropped it when you saw how enthusiastic he was. You patted Chester on the head. 

"Welcome to the family, Chester!" he announced. ' _Family…_ ' you thought.

The loyal little creature followed you all the way back home. Once you were back, tiredness overcame you both, and you slept the most peacefully you had since arriving in the Constant. It didn't hurt that Wilson had taken to holding you every night. 


	8. Gift of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As summer comes around again, tensions rise along with the heat.

Summer was now in full force. The days were longer, the crops grew faster, and berries and carrots became abundant once again. Unbeknownst to you, it had been one seasonal year since you met Wilson. The plan for the day was to go out and collect carrots and berries, and transplant a few more bushes to the farm at the base. You couldn't help but notice that Wilson looked much more stern than usual. Today, even when he spoke to you, his brow remained furrowed and his statements short. Once your main work was done for the day, you decided to write to collect your thoughts:

Entry 8 

_Wilson’s been acting kinda off today. I mean he normally has resting-bitch-face when he’s concentrating hard, but once we start talking it usually goes away. Today he didn’t seem interested. He’s all stand-offish, like something’s bothering him. It was like he was thinking about something else, I just don’t know what! Maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed? I’ve never seen him like this before. It’s already afternoon, and he hasn’t told me what’s up even though he’s been on edge all day. Ordinarily if he’s upset, he either tells me and we find a solution or I just do my best to make him feel better. Whenever something’s bothering him, he’s usually pretty upfront about it, so I’m hesitant to ask just cause normally he would have said something by now. I hope it’s nothing too serious._

Wilson’s POV: Entry 279 

_Today’s the day. Though the change in weather is all I have to gauge it by, I believe it’s been precisely four seasons since I met (y/n). As I have noted before, I’ve been working on a sort of present to celebrate the occasion, and thankfully I finished it a couple of days ago. I just hope she likes it. I must admit I’m feeling hesitant to give it to her. I still haven’t found the right words, and the day is upon me. I’ve spent all morning trying to think of what I should say. I'm still unsure about letting her know my true feelings, but I want to tell her how much I appreciate her. She’s been an enormous help keeping the base running, but it’s more than that._

_Before she arrived, I must admit it was difficult to keep my mood elevated, but she’s such a ray of sunshine that I’ve been waking up happy here. I used to dread every day I spent in this place, but since (y/n) joined me I’ve been looking forward to every day we get to spend together. Whenever she smiles at me, I get butterflies in my stomach. While we were sharing a tent I felt a bit guilty for holding her because she was unaware of how I really feel about her. However, now that the heat has made us switch back to bedrolls and we’re sleeping apart again… I miss her._

_I suppose that’s another reason I’ve been nervous about today. I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should confess my true emotions. I thought that if I just waited these feelings would subside, but I’m afraid they’ve only grown stronger with time. Perhaps I just haven’t waited long enough. Lovesickness may be the kind of illness that gets worse before it gets better._

_Well, I suppose I should give (y/n) her gift before evening. I just hope she likes it._

Your POV 

It was late afternoon. You’d finished writing a little while ago, and decided to pass the time making a few spare tools, with Chester by your side. You heard footsteps and looked up. 

“(y/n), do you have a moment?” Wilson asked as he approached you. 

“Yeah! Something on your mind?” you inquired, hoping he would confide in you. 

“Well…” He started off slow. You noticed he was keeping his hands behind his back. “I know it’s faster than the real world, but based on the seasons instead of the days, it’s been a ‘year’ since we first met,” he explained. 

“Uh-huh…” You weren’t quite sure what he was getting at. 

“So it’s summer again now, and it’s been rather hot lately so… well…” he glanced off to try and think of what to say. He glanced back at you and realized how long his pause had been. He began to turn red. “I- I wanted to make you a gift, since it’s been such a gift having you here! I just wanted to show you my appreciation...” He cleared his throat and smiled, regaining some composure. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands!” he told you. You did so, and felt something fabric-textured and floppy. 

“Can I look?” you asked.

“Go ahead!” he approved. You opened your eyes to see what looked like a (f/c) piece of clothing. You unfolded it to see that it was a dress! It was sleeveless, with a large sailor collar that covered the shoulders. It fastened using the mismatched buttons you had found in the graveyard. 

“Thank you so much!” you told him, clutching the dress tightly against your chest. “I’m gonna go try it on!” you announced. You went off to a more secluded area of the base to get dressed. Once you had it on, you found that it fit rather nicely, though the neckline was slightly lower than you expected. The skirt came down just past your knees and was perfect for spinning in. You could tell it would be much more comfortable than your jeans during the summer. 

On your way to find Wilson, you passed through the corridor of machines, and were able to catch your reflection in a couple of them. While the curvature of the contraptions made your reflections come out like they would in funhouse mirrors, you were still excited to see yourself in a new outfit. After all, you’d been wearing the same clothing for over a month. Wearing a dress made you feel more proper and girly than you had in a long time. You were never the most girly, but you had to admit it felt nice to dress up a little. You ran along to find Wilson by the fire pit. 

“Wilson!” you called out. He turned his head as you approached. 

“(y/n)! You look marvelous!” he complimented with a huge smile. You spun around in delight before swiftly sitting next to him and wrapping him in a hug.

“I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it!” you gushed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. His face turned as red as his waistcoat. 

“I love you too,” he murmured. Your eyes went wide and your heart dropped: not from sadness but exhilaration, like the first decent on a roller coaster.

“Really?!” you gasped, smiling ear to ear. He looked surprised. 

“What? Did I just say something?!” He panicked. You let go.

“You- Are you serious? You don’t know what you just-” he promptly shook his head from side-to-side. “Well _I_ said ‘I love it’ about _the dress_ , but you said ‘ _I love you too_ ’, soooo…” You looked to him for confirmation. He buried his head in his hands. “Wilson!” You loosely held him in the hopes of making him open up. He finally put his hands down, but turned his head away from you as he spoke.

“I understand if you want to leave,” he began. 

“Wilson! C’mon, do you really have feelings for me?” you asked, clutching his clothes where your hands laid. He dared to look at you, but his eyes swiftly darted back away. He gave a hasty but firm nod in the affirmative. You grinned and tightened your grip around him. He looked back in confusion.

“(y/n)! What on earth-” 

“For being a scientist, you’re not very good at observation,” you expressed. He frowned. “I mean, I always thought I was being way too obvious! I just figured you weren’t interested cause you never said anything,” you admitted. 

“‘Weren’t interested’?!” he mocked, starting to smile. “The only reason I never said anything was because I couldn’t imagine you would want to be with an old bastard like me!” He looked down. 

“Wilson!” you hollered to get him to look back at you. “That’s not how I think of you, and you shouldn’t think of yourself that way either!” You sighed, grabbing his hands. You looked into each others’ eyes. “I love you too,” you told him. He lit up, but not all at once. It took a couple of blinks, then he raised his eyebrows before a smile crept its way along his face. Once his grin reached its apex, he sought to express more joy by pulling you in for a hug, your head against his chest. 

“Eureka!” he exclaimed.

“Isn’t that just what you say when you find something?” you contended, confused by his announcement. He loosened his grip to free a hand, which grasped your jaw and angled your head towards him. 

“I just _found_ my way into your heart, didn’t I?” he posited with a suave expression. It faded when you smiled, but shook your head ‘no’. You sat up straight.

“You’ve _been there_ for ages, but you only _realized_ it now,” you assured him. A few moments passed as you both beamed warmly, free to get lost in each others’ eyes without shame.

"(y/n), deny me if I sound too forward, but… may I kiss you?" You chuckled at how quaint he sounded. 

"Yes, you may," you accepted, leaning in. He got a look on his face that read 'I didn't think I'd get this far', but it soon changed into a huge, uncontrollable smile. 

"My apologies," he conceded, lightly slapping his face. "To be completely candid, I'm just ecstatic! I um… I've wanted to kiss you for quite some time," he admitted. 

"I've been wanting to kiss you too," you confessed. He grinned even harder. "Just take a deep breath," you suggested. He did so and regained his poise. He cupped your cheek and you sunk into his hand. He wrapped his other arm around your waist, pulling you closer. Finally, he tilted his head opposite yours and leaned in to seal the kiss. Your eyelashes fluttered as you wrapped your arms around him. You had expected it to be brief and timid, but he kissed you deeply and tenderly, revealing just how much desire he'd been bottling up. Contact deepened even further and you held on tighter. After another moment, he parted from you, and he looked surprised at how red you were. 

"Did you like that?" he asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding me?" His face fell. "You sure don't mess around! Or, I guess you know the exact right way to mess around…" He smiled again once he understood. You realized you had been fanning yourself with your hand. "Look at me! You've got me fanning myself like an old lady!" He chuckled. You sighed. "Now I'm just gonna wanna kiss you all day, but I won't be able to if we want to get anything else done," you rued. He laughed. 

"Well, we've already finished all the work we planned for today…" He grasped your jaw once more and traced along your bottom lip with his thumb. Your heart raced as you firmly clutched his shoulders. 

"Kiss me again, Wilson," you pleaded. He was taken aback by your impetuousness, but quickly sneered as he closed the gap between you once more. Soon, he licked your bottom lip, sending shivers down your spine. You opened up, tugging on his collar. He ran his tongue over yours and you moaned softly. He groaned in response, pulling you into his lap. He placed one hand on your hip while the other caressed your thigh. You ran your fingers through his hair as your tongues swirled. A few moments passed before you heard Wilson's stomach growl. You broke away to snicker, and when you opened your eyes you saw that it was evening. "Let's get you some dinner," you advised, starting to get up. He pulled you back down.

"Or, I could just eat _you_ up," he contended, planting kisses from your jaw down your neck. You laughed at the sensation and the sentiment. 

"C'mon, I don't want you to go hungry," you insisted, standing up. 

"Alright, I give in," he surrendered, standing up after you. You took a step forward, but soon felt Wilson's hands on your hips, pulling you back before he wrapped you in a hug from behind. He pecked you on the cheek, then let go. "Just one for the road!" He smirked.

"You're ridiculous," you chuckled.

" _For you_ ," he quipped, grasping your hand. You laughed as you started walking. 

"Are you always gonna be this cheesy?" you wondered.

"Only as long as it makes you smile," he replied earnestly. You pouted at how cute he was being, and briefly laid your head on his shoulder. The both of you prepared dinner, lit the fire and ate. You exchanged compliments and reminisced about times you'd been secretly charmed by the other until the sun was completely down. 

"Guess it's time for bed," you suggested. You both got up and headed to your bedrolls. As you got into yours, you noticed Wilson was still standing, looking down at his. "Something wrong, Wil?" you asked. 

"Do you remember that night we came back from the graveyard?" he questioned. 

"Yeah?" 

"Would it be alright if I moved my bedroll next to yours, like I did that night?" he requested. You smiled.

"Of course," you agreed. He picked up his bedroll, scooting it right up against yours. He looked at it for a moment before running off. "Wil?!" you called, to no reply. He quickly returned with a beeffalo fur blanket, and laid it over the two bedrolls. You got out of your individual roll and Wilson joined you under the blanket. 

"I know it hasn't been that long, but… I've missed holding you in the night," he admitted. 

"And I've missed being held by you," you echoed, wrapping your arms around him. He hugged you in return. 

"You know, the reason I only held you from behind was because I was afraid that... If I gazed at you in my arms for too long, I wouldn't be able to fight the urge to kiss you," he confessed. "But that's not such an issue anymore..." He leaned in and kissed you lightly. 

"Good night, Wilson." 

"Good night, my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the confession! This is all I have stored up, so I'm counting on suggestions for writing 2-4 more chapters where you're together: the first one of which probably won't come out until October (and that's if I get a bunch of suggestions to work with really quickly).


	9. Tricks and Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A super sugary chapter for Valentine's Day.

It was a warm summer day and the workload was light, leaving you practically free for the late afternoon. You were doodling in your journal when something nudged your side, down by your hip. You looked down to see Chester, who barked 'hello' once you looked at him. 

"Hey there, little guy," you greeted, patting him on the head. You set aside your journal, picked up Chester, and plopped him onto your lap. "Who's my little fuzzy baby?" you asked in your 'dog voice'. 

He... purred(?) in response, delighted by the attention he was getting. 

"I wonder if you could learn any tricks," you thought aloud. You took him off of your lap and stood up. "Sit!" you commanded, combining it with a flat hand, palm-side down. You then kneeled down, taking his hind legs and bringing them forward for him, until he was in as close of a 'sitting' position as you could get him. "Good boy!" you commended, scratching his head. "I'd give you a treat, but you haven't digested a single thing we've tried to feed you," you explained to Chester. You told him the command and helped him along a few times more. 

"Sit!" you ordered once again. This time, he slowly but surely did the motion himself. He looked a little confused, and if he could speak you're sure he would ask 'Is this what you want from me?'. 

"Yes! Perfect! Who's the smartest dog thingy in the world? You are!" you told Chester while excitedly petting him. 

Your statement was probably true, as you soon found out he was a quick learner. Within the hour, he'd mostly gotten the hang of 'lay down', 'roll over', and playing dead when you called 'bang!'. 

"How are the two most adorable things in this world faring?" You looked to see Wilson walking towards you. "Keep in mind, you're still in first place." You smiled as he grasped your hand and gave you a peck on the cheek. 

"I _might_ be if you hadn't just won it for yourself just by saying that!" you challenged, booping him on the nose. He chuckled. 

"Oh, I'm not so sure," he doubted.

"I guess so," you began. He arched a brow. "Chester'll probably have us both beat after this," you explained. "Sit!" you directed. Chester tucked his hind legs beneath himself in a 'sitting' position. "Good! Lay down!" He spread out all of his legs, so he was laying on his tummy. "Yay!" You crouched down for a moment to pet him. 

"Roll over." He pushed off with his legs on his right side, and rolled until he was back on his stomach again. It wasn't very graceful, because his horns made it difficult to roll in a straight line. He had to push with his side legs, then his back legs to keep himself up, before flopping back right-side-up. You were surprised he was willing to do it despite the effort it took, but it seemed like he was having fun. "Good job!" You patted him once more, before standing him up again. "Bang!" A little bit of confusion came into his eyes as he gingerly laid on his side. "Good! That's good!" you assured, petting his exposed belly. "We're still working on that last one," you told Wilson.

"That's phenomenal!" he exclaimed. "What a good little boy!" he praised, sitting down on his knees to pet Chester. "And a marvelous teacher," he added, wrapping an arm around you. 

"Aww…" you sighed, resting your head on his shoulder and your hand on his lower thigh. You then heard him gulp. You retracted yourself from him, fearing that you were making him nervous. While he hadn't been that shy in the evening of the day you two had gotten together, since then he hasn't been as forward. Sure you still spooned at night, and sometimes he held your hand, but frankly, you had started doing those things together long before you confessed your feelings to each other. The only new element was quick kisses here and there. You were starting to wonder what the deal was. 

Once you leaned back, you saw that he really was nervous: slightly wide-eyed, with his lips firmly pressed together. 

"What's wrong?" you asked. His eyes went a little wider.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" he denied, frantically waving his hands. 

"Wilson…" you grilled. "You're supposed to be able to tell me whatever's on your mind. Whatever it is, I just wanna help," you insisted. 

"Well, it's simply that… um, how do I phrase this?" he stalled. You moved to sit across from him as the sun began to set. "It's simply that, even before coming to this place, as I've said before: I was rather secluded," you nodded. "And since living here on my own, though I didn't find it comfortable- completely intolerable at times, to be more precise -I grew used to being removed from humanity."

"Sooo…?" you still weren't sure what he was getting at in regard to your current state.

"Ergo, your touch is still unfamiliar to me- when I'm not expecting it. I'm not used to spontaneous physical affection," he articulated. 

"So I surprised you, that's all? Y'know if it makes you uncomfortable, I can always sto-"

"No, no no no no!" he refuted, waving his hands. "Yes, I'm not accustomed to it, but oh, how I want to be!" he admitted, clasping his hands together. Some confusion ligured in your expression. "Just… if I ever seem apprehensive like I must have appeared a moment ago, know that I'm not uneasy because of aversion, but rather anticipation! You thrill me, (y/n)." You felt your heart swell, and at this point just assumed you were blushing. You scooted closer to him.

"I'm gonna hug you now, alright?" you warned, leaning in. 

"Please!" he beseeched, opening his arms. You wrapped your arms around him and put your head on his chest. As you heard his heart rate rise before regressing, he wrapped his arms around you in return. He then sighed, laying his cheek on the top of your head as the sun began to set. After a moment, you heard him exhale sharply.

“Hm?” you wondered what he had reacted to. 

“I had a funny thought,” he remarked.

“What was it?” you asked. 

“Just that something like this could never happen back home.”

“How do you mean?” you leaned up to see his face.

“Well, in the past you’ve given me what I can only assume to be a _brief_ rundown of world history between my time and yours, but how much do you know about my time in particular?” he inquired. 

“Early 20th century?” you clarified. He nodded. You thought for a moment. “You got sucked here in 1921, right? So you weren’t around for most of the 20s. So that mainly leaves the 1910s which was… World War 1-”

“Dreadful to hear it referred to as _that_ … to think everyone called it ‘the war to end all wars’,” he lamented. “Go on,” 

“Spanish flu… but on a brighter note: ragtime music, those bicycles with the big wheel in front, guys dressed like you, and ladies wore those puffy shirts with the leg-o-mutton sleeves and those long skirts that made their butts look _ginormous_ ,” you recounted. Wilson buried his face in his hands, and you were worried for a moment before you heard him trying to suppress his laughter. 

“That isn’t… technically incorrect- though I recall seeing safety bicycles more often than original ones -It’s absurd for me to hear about it in that manor,” he reasoned, laughing all the while. 

“What was this leading up to again?” you questioned. 

“Just how taboo the two of us would be if we were in the society of my time period,” he explained. "I certainly wouldn't be able to hold you like this. Hell, it would be scandalous to even be alone together. We wouldn't be living together, not to mention sleeping side by side- let alone spooning. All of that would be reserved for after marriage."

"I doubt we'll find a priest or a courthouse out here," you joked.

"Precisely: it makes our situation rather unique."

"You could say _that_ again." He sighed. 

"While being in this place isn't ideal, there _is_ a small part of me that's glad it happened this way." You looked at him hoping he'd elaborate. "I just don't believe I would ever meet a lady like you in my own time. Even if I did, I imagine I would have been too preoccupied with my experiments to take proper heed," he chuckled. "It would have taken you being snatched up from your own time and falling from the sky onto my doorstep to peek my curiosity. Furthermore, within that scenario, I still feel as though we wouldn't have gotten to know each other in the same capacity," he speculated. You thought of something that made your heart sink.

"What if some other girl ended up here instead of me?" you wondered. "Would it just be the same?" 

"y/n darling, to be perfectly honest, if in your place was someone half the woman that you are, I could have still been happy, because your magnificence halved would still be tremendous. But if I ever learned of _you_ in particular, I wouldn't rest until I could be with you," he conceived. You warmly smiled. "Being with you makes me wish I'd paid more attention when hearing about courtship," he added.

"Is there anything you remember aside from what you're _not_ supposed to do?" you asked. He thought for a moment. 

"There _is_ a little something I remember, if you'd care to join me," he invited, standing up and offering you a hand. You took it and stood.

"Of course!" you replied. He brought his hand still holding yours up and to the side of you, elbow slightly bent. Then, he took your free hand with his, laying it on his upper arm before he placed his on the small of your back. 

"Do you know how to dance, Miss 21st Century?" he asked, putting on a pompous voice.

"Not like this," you admitted. 

"May I teach the teacher a new trick, then?" You laughed. 

"Sure! I'd like to think I'm not an old dog just yet," you agreed. 

"Splendid! The only moves I remember are rather simple, so you ought to pick them up quickly," he hypothesized. "I believe the main thing is called the 'box step'. It's done by moving in a rectangular formation," he began, looking to the floor. "I'll begin with my right foot, so you move your left foot back," he did so while explaining, and you followed. "Then bring the other foot backwards to meet it. Just like that. Then I take my right foot again, you your left, and we step to the side, widening your stance before bringing our feet back together again. I take my right foot and step back, you advance with you left. Yes, and bring them back together. This is the only time I take my left foot, you your right, and we step to widen our stance… and back together. And that's it- that's the meat of it," he concluded, looking back up. You sheepishly smiled in return. Just then, the sky began to darken. "Time to get the fire lit, then," he noted, stepping away to do so. Once it was lit, everything around you was bathed in a warm glow. "Where were we?" Wilson asked, stepping back to you and reassuming his position. You saw the reflection of the fire flicker in his eyes, and though you'd now seen it countless times, it still pulled you in as much as ever. 

"...Box step," you mustered.

"Ah yes, let's try it a few more times, shall we?" You looked down once again, following his steps. After a few moments, he spoke: "Ready to peel your eyes off from the floor?" he asked. You looked up.

"And turn them to you? Anytime," you retorted. While he tried to hide it, you could tell you managed to fluster him a little. 

"L-Let's begin!" You began stepping in sync, and after a few minutes, you'd gotten the hang of it: only stepping on each other's toes a couple times in the process. "Would you like to spin?" It was more of a warning than a question, as he began to raise the hand that held yours, release his grasp, and point his fingertips downwards. "Simply hold my hand loosely as a guide and walk in a small circle," he instructed. You walked one circle before coming back to position and finishing with a curtsy. He looked surprised. "Over that quickly?" he asked, sounding slightly alarmed. 

"What do you mean? What's over?" you wondered. He paused.

"Were you unaware? A bow or curtsy signals the end of a dance."

"Ah, right." ' _Of course I knew that… totally_ ,' you kidded yourself.

"So you wish to continue?" he tried to ascertain. You smiled with a warmth and brilliance which rivaled the nearby fire and the burgeoning glow of nearby fireflies. 

"Yeah," you agreed, getting back in position. "Do you know how to do a dip? I'd like to try it before the night's over," you suggested. He exhaled heartily as a half-laugh, and smiled. 

“Certainly,” he agreed, beginning to waltz with you again. As you danced, you began unwittingly humming to yourself, presumably to help stay on-beat. “Y/n,” he sighed.

“Hm?” He gave a couple rapid blinks in consternation.

“Was that out loud?” he questioned. You chuckled.

“Yeah. Something on your mind?” You wondered.

“Well, I… I adore it whenever you hum or sing to yourself. It makes this world feel fuller.” 

You knew you had a habit of singing absent-mindedly when doing various tasks on your own, but until that moment you didn’t think that Wilson listened. You were a little self-conscious, so you stayed quiet whenever you knew he was near, and other times still tended to sing softly. You figured he may have heard you from time to time, but you didn’t imagine that he’d _listen_ to it.

“Having you around makes me realize how dreadfully quiet it used to be here,” he expounded. “You have a beautiful voice, (y/n), it’s a joy to listen to.” He spoke barely above a whisper. It really was quiet there. Talking over the crackling of the campfire and lazy calls of resting birds didn’t take much effort. You weren’t sure how to respond, so after your surprise wore off, you opted to just warmly smile. A few moments passed before Wilson spoke again "Prepared to dip, dearie?".

"Sure! So, uh, how exactly…"

"I'll brace you, merely lean back and keep one leg beneath you for support." You carried out the motions as he spoke. Soon you were poised in a dip, surrounded by a bubble of warm glow from the campfire. 

In that moment, it felt like you and Wilson were the only things in the world: or any world, for that matter. You smiled up at him, radiating nothing but pure love, and he beamed back. Before you knew it, you were enveloped in a deep kiss. You couldn't have stopped your heart from swelling even if you wanted to. Once you parted, Wilson spoke:

"We certainly couldn't have done _that_ back home either," he chuckled.


End file.
